Early this morning, whilst JJ and I were enjoying some Mummy Time, JJ asked if we could go to the zoo today. We do have membership to Taronga Zoo, so this wasn’t out of the question, but I hadn’t discussed our plans for the day with Mr Banya yet. So I gave her a vague “Well, maybe you should ask Daddy” reply.
JJ thought for a moment, and then said, “But he could say no.” And I said, “Yes, he might say no.”
And then she said, “But he might say yes.” And I replied, “Yes, he might say yes too.”
And she pondered this in her little 2 year 8 month old brain, and tottered off in only her undies into the toy room to quietly read her books (aka look at the pictures and remember the storyline) for a while.
Now, this quietly reading of her books by herself is a new thing, and something that I’m wholeheartedly encouraging, so I was loath to interrupt her to tell her to finish getting dressed. So I left her there and popped downstairs to tell Mr Banya about our conversation thus far.
The next thing we hear is JJ calling down “Daddy, I need help with my socks and shoes!”, and after getting them on, she says “OK, I’m ready now. Let’s go!”
Mr Banya asks “Oh, where are we going?”
And JJ replies “To the zoo. I’m all ready. Let’s go. Come on Daddy!”
And I thought to myself, what a clever girl…..
She didn’t ask the question, because she wasn’t sure of the answer. So instead she re-framed her question into an assumption that she knew would give her a better chance of the outcome she wanted. She made it so that he couldn’t just say an easy no. He would have had to let her down.
So, can you guess where JJ and Mr Banya are right now? Supporting proof that toddlers are indeed the best negotiators.
xx
Danya
The Sunday Parenting Party, co-hosted by Dirt & Boogers, One Perfect Day, Play Activities, Taming The Goblin and The Golden Gleam
(This post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.)