Parker’s learned this oh so well. Usually it’s futile and it’s not difficult to determine her ultimate goal in her attempt at parental manipulation. And I understand she’s only a few months past three so she’s going to get better at it. It’s usually a meager attempt at getting candy (“Daddy, I am soooooo hungry”) or at bedtime when she doesn’t want to go to sleep she’ll demand an extra hug or (“Daddy, I’m soooo thirsty, I need a drink of water").
Sometimes though she performs this little act in such an endearing way it’s hard to say no. She’ll make a request, I’ll say no and then she step up to her 2nd gear of manipulation. This is where she’ll work herself up into a temper tantrum expecting something positive to come of it. That trick never works and she knows it and we’re pretty good at handling her in those situations…staying calm, sending her to her room, closing her door, etc....
Her 3rd gear of manipulation is much more entertaining. Once she realizes options 1 and 2 are not working she plops to the floor and can’t move. She can’t get up and walk, some invisible force is negating her ability to stand up. She’s kind of a blob without any muscle tone waiting to be cured. I guess what makes it so funny is that it’s so terribly performed.
I assume this is the typical developmental cycle for a three year old. She was going through a period of blatantly lying but that seems to have tapered off. Can’t wait to see what the next developmental stage will bring…Larceny? Ponzi scheme? Arson? Cheerleading? Social conservatism? ……..who knows.
One thing is for sure...I know exactly where she gets it from...
1 comment:
funny post. I know what you mean. Katie totally knows what and whose strings to pull with impeccable timing. Wait until we each have two pre-teen girls...
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