The art of manipulation
Posted on November 15, 2008
Even though I have worked with some pretty amazing and tough kids, it astonishes me that my own daughter can play me like a violin. (And trust me, thanks to The Little Einsteins, she is very familiar with how to play a violin.)
Her latest ploy, “Mommy, poo poo on the potty!”
She KNOWS that no matter what I am doing, I will have to drop everything to take her to the potty. (Oh, and poo poo really means pee pee, she’s has them mixed up.)
Last night at dinner, I took her to the potty 4 times, and John took her once. When we are at home, if I am cooking dinner or doing the dishes, or basically any activity where I am not paying 100% of my attention to her, she will tell me she needs to go potty.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY proud of her. And she is proud of herself, too. After each time, she’ll shout, “I did it!” The waitress at the resteraunt asked her how she was doing, and Chloe excitedly announced, “I poo pooed on the potty!” The waitress just laughed and congratulated her.
But, does the child really need to pee five times in one dinner? John and I decided that this is one of the times when we have to give in. We can’t afford to assume she is just manipulating.
Which, she knows. Oh boy, does she know!
oh! the thrills of foreign potties. I think that’s it more than anything else. A new place to go. Only recently has having to go to the bathroom stopped getting my attention. Up until about 3 months ago a child could say they needed to go potty or were hungry and I would stop what I was doing and consider their request. Now? Now I point to the bathroom. And in the other case consider the time and the source and point them to the pantry.
But, yeah Chloe! Can she buckle her car seat too? Ah, the freedom.