Snippet of an IM conversation with a Male Friend Who Usually Thinks He Knows Everything (MFWUTHKE). He’d just read these two posts on Maya’s site.

MFWUTHKE: interesting stuff on the Maya saying NO on the blog..
MFWUTHKE: sure you “could” just solve it for her.. and let her down.. or give her fruit…
MFWUTHKE: but I like the idea.. of making her have to come to terms with what NO really means
MFWUTHKE: excellent!
Allison: Glad you appreciate it.
Allison: I want her to understand it and know when to use it.
MFWUTHKE: and when to not use it
Allison: She still sometimes uses it inappropriately (do you want down “NO!”)
Allison: Exactly
MFWUTHKE: otherwise.. you are enforcing that old standard that have driven men crazy..
MFWUTHKE: NO means yes!
MFWUTHKE: hahahahahaha
Allison: Yeah, or “no” means “I’m just being coy so you won’t think I’m a slut, but really I want you to do me.”
Allison: Which is how Maya got here. I meant “NO.” He heard the other.
MFWUTHKE: well we’ll solve that one later.. right now… let’s just see if she wants peaches!
Allison: At least, I think that’s it.
MFWUTHKE: (laughing emoticon)
Allison: (tongue stuck out emoticon)
MFWUTHKE: anyway.. cool insight…
MFWUTHKE: I might have just (as MFWUTHKE does) try to solve it for her.. or assume what she wanted…
MFWUTHKE: but after reading that… big fan….
Allison: Yay!
MFWUTHKE: makes a lot of sense…. I like
Allison: (patting myself on the back)

I won’t kid you. Even though *I* know I’m on the right track, it feels really, really good to have a skeptical friend tell me he thinks so, too.