Consider Your Audience

"What the heck does 'rather' mean anyway?!?!

This from my local Junie B. Jones doppelganger after asking if she could work on her fun packet. I told her, "I would rather you read your library book." We went back and forth for a minute or two before she exploded with the great question above. The thing is, I didn't want to just tell her, "No, you may not work on your fun packet." I wanted her to make the right decision on her own. Turns out it would have been better to Just Say No.