Negotiations.

Anastyn {aka Miss Sassy Pants} has been entertaining me with her negotiation skills the past couple weeks. You have to keep in mind that she's only 2 years old. I know all small children are like little sponges. They soak up so much - good and bad. The thing that amazes me is that they are clever enough to take all the words, images, circumstances, etc. that they have soaked up and wring it all out in very adult ways.

I know where Miss Sassy Pants has learned how to negotiate. Obviously, I do it with her all day long. For example: "If you eat your dinner, you can have ice cream later!", "If you don't stop throwing rocks, we will have to leave the park and go home!", "No, you cannot have candy...how about a banana?", "If you promise not to yell, stand up in the cart, or make mommy behave like a crazy person while we are at Wal-Mart, I will buy you a toy!!" etc, etc, etc.

But I didn't think she would start doing the negotiating so soon! Her new thing is to say, "How 'bout..." She wanted apple juice - I said she could have water - she said "how 'bout milk?" O-kay. She was supposed to be taking a nap. She wanted to do puzzles instead. I told her we could do puzzles after her nap. She said, "how 'bout one puzzle?" It really is very funny. I get a chuckle out of her. And I am wondering what she will come up with next...

Matty made me giggle the other day. She was sitting on the stairs wrestling with her shoes. She was trying to put them on, but she was having some technical difficulties. She was grunting and making noises under her breath. I could tell she was getting really frustrated. And then she shook her hands in the air and said in her little growly voice, "Are you kidding me, shoes?" Ha ha!