I'll Learn Eventually

There is a thing that Alexis knows that comes in very handy at times; I don't bluff. If I say "do it again and I'm taking away all of your fun for a year," she knows I really will follow through. There's no empty threats.

It will be some time before Mila figures this all out.

Right now I can almost threaten her into compliance. It's more like bribery, to be honest, but it counts. "No candy unless you pick up your trash" gets me somewhere. Small victories are still victories, you know?

And yet, I have been defeated. Again.

Miss Mila is a pajama-loving fool. She asks to put her jammies on within minutes of getting home every evening. On the weekends, she usually stays in pajamas well into the afternoon. Weekdays, however, there are things to do, so she gets dressed.

Mostly that works. As long as Alexis is in charge of the getting dressed, Mila plays along with it. If I show up and try to make the kid wear pants, there might be a battle, though. Which, Alexis was similar for a while. She definitely had a phase where she wasn't cool with getting dressed in the morning, but it ended the day I threatened to take her to school in her pajamas. She knew I wasn't bluffing and the thought of being around friends while wearing her pajamas HORRIFIED her. So, she got dressed.

I tried that threat on Mila this morning. "Mila, get dressed or you're wearing your pajamas to school."

Guess what happened.

Go ahead.

I probably should have seen that coming, eh?