Seawall-ness.

My three year old daughter harangued a third story out of me before bedtime. Usually it’s a two story limit. Buoyed by this win, she tried to go for a forth.

Leaning towards despotism I obviously said no-way, to which she got up and proclaimed that ‘I can’t live like this anymore’. And then stormed out.

Injustice as perceived by a three year old…

She came back relatively soon after with another book and a hangdog expression. Keen to turn this into a learning experience I told her she needed to match her strategy to her terrain. (Nothing like a little Sun Tzu before bedtime) and while this likely would have worked on her grandparents… flattery was probably the best recourse against her old man. I love to be told how awesome I am. Bribery in the form of chocolate is also (usually) a surefire stratagem.

This is how I imagine it should have gone. But instead I just read her another story with no reciprocal adulation or offerings of coca. Because I am weak.

Next time I will be like the sea-wall of indifference against which the wave of big blue eyes crashes and breaks! No mercy!