My daughter is a firecracker. She’s a whip. Just tonight, in fact, she and I had a half hour long show-down during church. I kindly asked her to please eat her cheese before she got down out of her chair and she refused. I removed her from the scene to have a little discipline. Then she threw tantrum after tantrum all the while refusing to agree to eat her cheese. The congregation sang hymns, the kids were released to Sunday School, there were prayers and a Bible reading and more prayers and more songs and all I could do was hope that she wasn’t extremely loud from the very back of the church and wonder if we’d be the last ones here still waiting for her to agree to eat her cheese. Anyway, I stood my ground. Thirty minutes later she finally said “Okay Mommy” almost loud enough for me to hear and that was good enough for me. So we headed back to our seats and she promptly ate her cheese and we snuggled for a minute. It was a battle of wills for sure, but if the girl thinks she can outlast the very one who gave her her stubbornness then she’s in for a surprise! I’m just sayin’.
Anyway, that was another story. This post is about something different. In this story her Grandma and I just got plain outsmarted…
One day in March the kids were eating a quick meal of peanut butter sandwiches and chips for lunch at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. The chips were Doritos to be specific. We all know kids love Doritos and my children are no exception.
When the telltale orange film covered my girlie’s fingers and her sandwich remained untouched her Grandma and I insisted she eat some of her sandwich before she eat another chip. She immediately opened up her sandwich and placed the remaining chips inside on the peanut butter, closed it up and took a bite.
She figured out a way to technically follow the rules yet get what she wanted at the same time.
I didn’t know what to do. We had been outsmarted by a two year old and what to do about it?
We did nothing. Except laugh at her creativity and let her eat her sandwich in peace… peanut butter, Doritos and all.
This girl. I love her!
The conversation from approximately 28 years ago went something like this:
ReplyDeleteMe: "Suzanne, you'll ruin your appetite if you eat while I'm fixing supper." (Spoken from experience)
Suz: "But Mommy, can I see how it feels?"
Me: (Thinking how wonderful it is to have such an inquisitive child; and, after all, children learn with all their senses.) Holding out a spoonful of whatever I'm cooking for supper, dutifully cooled for the safety of my sweet, brilliant and precious girl, "Put some on your fingers, and your can see how it feels."
Suz: "But what I really need to know is how it feels in my mouth!"
Yep, it started a long, long time ago. And the challenge continues to ........ TRY AND THINK AHEAD OF WHERE HER MIND IS ACTUALLY GOING!!
I can't wait to see where the great minds of these two amazing progeny take each other!
Ha ha! I love that story Mom! What goes around comes around and I guess mine is coming in the form of my firecracker, eh?! Also, I love that your comments become a part of this story we are writing for H and N about their lives and those that love them...
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