In family life, you're better off saying, "I can't say right now," than something like "Maybe," or "I'll try" as in "Maybe we'll have pizza tonight" or "I'll try to pick up that shirt you want." People - and children in particular - seem to drop those little noncommittal words and phrases from sentences, leaving only "the promise," as in "___we'll have pizza tonight" and "I'll_____pick up that shirt you want." When you don't deliver (due to extenuating circumstances or whatever reason), you can expect to hear the outraged cry of "But you SAID!" or even, "But you promised!" Save yourself the trouble of trying to explain to the bitterly disappointed loved one that you never actually promised. Instead, just don't use these ambiguous terms to begin with. "We'll see," "hopefully," "perhaps," "if it works out," "maybe" and "I'll try" are all best replaced with "I don't know yet," "I'll let you know when I know" and other statements that won't cause anyone's hopes to be dashed later on.
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