If, Then
I make deals with the devil, I mean Moanna, often. Sometimes it’s just easier to enter into negotiations with her than it is to put my foot down. There are just too many battles in the day, and I need peace, at least for part of the day. I know that to an extent this feeds her stubbornness, but as we work through this new lifestyle together there is going to be a learning curve on both our parts.
I started my “If, Then” negotiations with her when she was a fetus. Actually it started from the moment I knew I was pregnant.
The pee stick turns positive the second my pee touches it. As I’m still peeing and looking at the +, I’m saying out loud to myself and the fetus, “Please, please, please, please wait until I graduate college before you make your debut. Please, please, please, let me finish college. And, Oh-my-Gawd, please, please, please, PLEASE don’t make me go into labor during class. Tell you what. IF you wait until after I graduate to arrive, THEN you can have ice cream anytime you want.”
And that is how this whole thing started. We can buy pass all of the other negotiations that have been made over the past three years, and fast forward to yesterday.
Moanna has been in swim lessons for about three months now. She has not been at all interested in putting her face in the water. Sure, she’ll blow bubbles if her nose is out of the water, but that’s as far as she’ll go. The swim instructor has done plenty of song and dance to get her to put her face in the water. We’ve tried working with her during bath time and when we go to the pool. She even has a new pair of pink goggles. New toys have even been offered up in exchange for a good face plant. No go.
Yesterday as we were getting dressed in the locker room, she and I had a conversation that went something like this…
Me, “Are you going to put your face in the water today?”
Moanna, “Mmm, I don’t know.”
Me, “Come on. You can do it.”
Mo, blank stare.
Me, “Moanna, you’re brave. You can do it. Can’t you just try it?”
Mo, “Mmm. Probably not.”
Me, “Well what do you think we should do IF you put your face in the water?”
Mo, taking almost no time to answer, “Daddy should take us out to dinner!”
Me, “IF you put your face in the water, THEN we’ll have Daddy take us out. Are you going to put your face in the water.”
Mo, all giggles, “Mmmhmmm. I’ll try.”
Moanna jumps in the water, and I call Steve.
Me, “Moanna said you have to take us out to dinner if she puts her face in the water.”
Steve, “Oh really?”
Me, “Yep. I asked her what we should do, and she said ‘Daddy should take us out to dinner.’”
Steve, “Greeaaat.”
I hang up the phone and crack open my book to read. About fifteen minutes later, I am deep into my book, when I hear a sequel.
“MOMMY! I did it!”
I look up and her hair is dripping wet.
Swim Instructor, “Let’s show Mommy. Do it again.”
And she goes under.
Mini round of applause from everyone in the pool.
And she does it again.
Another round of applause.
And again.
And again.
I text Steve, “She did it.”
THEN, we went to dinner.
Since we were celebrating, we let Moanna slide with just eating rice for dinner, and then we ordered this.
And, for some reason, she kissed it.
And, because we are parents who use our children for entertainment, we talked her into doing this. Don’t lie, you’ve done it too.
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Haven’t done the lemon thing yet (Miss A’s still 3, but I’m sure that’ll come) AND it’s a little payback huh? *LOL*
Revenge!!
I MISS YOU GUYS!!!!! This is just all too adorable!!! Loved the phone call from Mo. When I heard this little voice say…..Hi GG…..I just melted.
We miss you too!
My daughter actually LIKES lemons. So we have to keep them out of reach. (Lemons, pickles and olives… of all things. =)
And… kids are funny when it comes to going underwater – often the little guys will go under for ANYONE except mom/dad. Good for her for getting it sorted out! (I may have spent the better part of a decade working as a lifeguard… kids are fun to watch. =)
Hahaha that’s great.
She loves, loves, LOVES being in the water. We have to watch her extra close because she THINKS she can swim. It wouldn’t even upset her if she fell and her head went under, didn’t phase her. The idea of voluntarily going under water was a different story all together.
HA! Love it.
Aww, that’s too cute! But chocolate really is a thing of love.
And yes, my oldest has done the lemon thing. Oddily enough it backfired, and he started to gnaw on the darn thing like it was the best thing ever.
Even though Mo kept making horrible faces, she keep sucking on it… Odd child
Oh well, we could not stop living our little devils:)
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Negotiating is a fact of life. We all gotta do it whether we want something from someone or someone wants something from us. Sounds like the bargain made with Mo was a win-win for everyone. I believe in kissing chocotate, too. It deserves a big smooch!
I did get out of making dinner, but I swear she was plotting it the whole time.
Wonderful story and pictures!!!!! I’m so proud of Mo.
When my kids were little, I learned to pick my battles.
The best lesson ever.
In High School, my son had extremely long hair. Everyone said, “when ya gonna’ make that boy cut his hair?”.
I just pointed to my hairless pate and said, “I’ve won this battle. As long as no one’s pregnant, in jail, on drugs, or dropping out of school, a little (and that was an understatement) isn’t a problem.
One day, I came home to a son with a shaved head. Locks of Love had 14 inches of hair to use.
I think I picked the right battle!
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That’s a great story!