Change Needed

As Alan joined his father on the cabin roof, a large, striped cat jumped onto the roof from a nearby branch. "Hey there, fella," Alan called. "Do you want to help us fix this roof?" He took a step toward the cat.

"Be careful, Alan," said Dad. "A lot of the boards up here need to be replaced, and some may not hold you, so be careful where you walk." As Dad spoke, Alan heard a creak beneath his foot and his leg plunged through the roof up to his knee. He let out a yell, and several swear words followed. He moaned as he pulled his leg back up and pointed to his badly scraped knee.

"Let's go get you bandaged up," said Dad. So back down the ladder they went.

As Dad put the bandage on, Alan spoke. "Uh, Dad? I didn't mean to say what I did up there. It just kinda slipped out."

Dad looked up. "Usually the words that slip out are those we use a lot."

"I don't usually say those words," said Alan. "You've never heard me say them before!"

"No, I haven't, but how about the kids you spend tim