Like a Wet Blanket

We bought Alexis a Monster High doll for her 8th birthday, but somewhere in there she managed to pick up something very different. The kid went from being all sorts of average in her stalling skills to almost being a pro.

She used to wail, "But I don't wanna go to bed," when she was trying to delay the inevitable. As if that works.

She once found a way to be distracted by EVERY shiny thing between Point A and the pair of shoes she was supposed to put away. She seemed to think that would get her out of putting away the shoes, but all it did was earn her a ticket to Nagville.

It was all rookie stuff. It was transparent and ineffective and generally landed her in hot water.

Now, though ... now she remains transparent and crazy for thinking any of it will work, but she has stepped up her game. She has started to battle being told what to do with love.

If I tell Alexis it's time for bed, now she snuggles up, plants a kiss on the side of my face, and starts gushing about how much she loves me. HOW CAN I NOT LET THAT GO ON FOR A WHILE? HOW? (Seriously, I need to know because it's been buying her a solid ten minutes every night.)

If I ask her to clean, she throws out the same tactic. A snuggle, some kind words, and just like magic, I forget that I asked her to do something.

She's good. Very good.

But, it's still transparent. I do know what she's doing. That means that every once in a while, I'm bound to call her out on the tactics and tell her to quit stalling or whatever. That's exactly what I did a few days ago when she was in the midst of an amazing attempt at get-out-of-picking-up-her-own-mess manipulation. She was all nuzzled up and being sweet, but I wasn't buying what she was selling.

"Alexis, go. You know what you're supposed to be doing," I said.

She turned to me, put on her best indignant face, and replied, "MOM. You're ruining the mood."

Something tells me that's not the last time she'll throw that phrase out.