Game Over. I Lose.
Lately I've been trying really hard to get Alexis in the habit of cleaning up her toys when she's done playing with them. Be it her 8 kajillion dolls, a tub of Legos, a box full of Play-Doh, or a bunch of puzzles, she has a choice--she can clean it up the second time I ask, or I will confiscate it. And hide it. And probably forget what the heck I did with it.
(I have no idea why I don't just take stuff away if she doesn't put it away the first time I ask. Apparently I am a wimp. Who believes in second chances. Or something.)
Anyway, she is generally pretty good about picking up, just so long as the instructions are very specific. It has to be, "pick up these puzzle pieces and put them in this box." Not a big deal, really, just so long as I manage to keep my wits kinda-sorta about me. I've only confiscated one item in the past week, and since it was the Hungry Hungry Hippos Game, I might have been a bit quick on the draw with the confiscating. I love playing that game, but I hate hearing somebody else play it and play it and play it. And play it.
Tonight Alexis and I spent two solid hours doing puzzles. We put together a little Belle puzzle. We assembled a Mickey puzzle. Then we moved on to the biggie--the 100 piece Hello Kitty puzzle. It took us quite a while to put that sucker together, especially since a certain fuzzy cardboard-eating creature kept trying to "help." We finally finished it, and Alexis stood up to do a little dance of joy.
As she finished, I asked her to start putting the pieces in the box. She said, "No." I retorted with my last chance offer. She retorted with, "Make the puzzle go away, Momma."
Dammit.
I'm being beaten at my own game. Again.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Reader Comments (26)
Seriously how can you take anything away from that face!
HA.
I don't know why I laugh. Monkey has now started retorting, "no mommy, you do it"
UGH. It's a damn good thing they're cuter than hell.
Welcome to your future. Hehehe! :)
How could you say no to that cute little face?
Yep, I get: "You do it, mommy." Which gets a big fat, "NO, Monkey, you do it. I didn't play with those toys, you did." I also get, "By myself??" I pitch in, of course. And specific instructions are the rule of the day. Monkey needs help staying on task.
And: That picture is precious.
ciao,
rpm
I'll send LB over. He ONLY wants to put toys away right now which makes BB quite insane.
It's kind of comical.
I feel your pain. I tried to show Master J the error of his ways regarding the clean laundry he had pulled off of his hangers and tossed in with his dirty clothes. I thought if I showed him how much of a pain it was to do laundry (sort, put in washer, measure detergents, start, switch to dryer, fold, put away) that he would decide to leave his clean clothes alone. Turns out he likes doing laundry. I think some kids are just sent here to confound us.
hahaha love it. and the picture is too cute for words! :)
Oh yeah, she got you! :) Way too cute, but only because she's yours. Mine would never, ever, ever think of doing something like that.:)
No really. Maybe. Ok, you caught me lying. Silly kids and their games.
It sucks when good parenting still comes back and bites you in the ass.
I love it. Maybe I'll start using that phrase with the kids. "Make it go away, or I will."
Bwahaha. She is too smart for her own good.
And too cute. That picture cracks me up and makes me go "aww" at the same time.
I am in the EXACT same position! Cooper has lost a major chunk of his toys because he is completely uninterested in picking them up, and could care less if I take them and put them in the basement. I'm telling you . . . 3 sucks.
Yep, kinda like my "I'm gonna count to five, and you better get over here and get your diaper changed" nonsense. I go "one, two.." and he screams, "three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten"!
It is SUPPOSED to be Jim's job to supervise the right before bed clean up, but he does.not.get.it. "I tell him to clean up, but he doesn't listen to me?!" (Ya think?)
I've told him a million times, "they need specific instructions".
adorable... she's a smart one.
make puzzle go away haha, nice. She's one smart cookie!
She's a smart one, and cute too, a dangerous combination :)
Oh that sounds just like my daughter used to sound!
She's a smart one.
Well...at least she's clever!
beauty and brains, you're screwed!
ps. I love the outfit, can she dress me sometime!!
That outfit is amazing! I don't think you're being a wimp for asking her twice, it's a good move cos the first one is a warning. Play to her game (no pun intended, maybe), I say, and put stuff away. She is so cute though.
Oh that is too funny! I will never forget when my nephew was little and his mom told him if he did something one more time, no more playing trains for the rest of the day. Well sure enough,he didn't listen and trains were off limits the rest of the day. A little while later she found him in the basement playing with Thomas. She said "I thought I told you no more trains" to which he replied "A train is a bunch of cars pulling together, this is an engine."
She is beautiful and smart and you are loving and totally "get" her. You two? Are perfect together. God is good with that whole matchy-matchy thing.
Wow! That's a lot like my post from February 13th.
Great minds, I guess.
I say that all the time "make it go away" and it never works...
when I ask Riley to clean up- he typically throws whatever it is at my head. I'm starting to think of asking for a Steelers helmet and just wear it around the house all the time.