So Many Arguments

Mila's current hobbies include eating candy, dressing and undressing dolls, coloring, and arguing. That girl can ARGUE about anything, anywhere, at any time. She lives to argue. It is her religion.

Case in point - she and Alexis had an argument this week about which one of them is the oldest. You would think that would be a simple one to figure out, what with the giant age difference and all, but nope. Mila seems to think she can create a wrinkle in time that will result in her being older than her sister.

The arguing can be exhausting. That's most of the reason I don't engage in it. I mean, if Mila wants to ramble on and on that a car is RED not BLACK, then whatever. I state my case once and then let it be. I'm saving my energy for a good fight when she's a teenager.

So that's why I didn't argue with her on Halloween about eating dinner. We were home a little early so we could get dressed, set up for trick-or-treating, take pictures, and eat dinner. She didn't care. She wanted to rush through all of the stuff and start knocking on doors because strangers giving her candy are the best kind of strangers.

I tried twice, now that I think about it. I exceeded my usual allowance for arguing with Little Miss Never Wrong. She didn't want dinner and she really didn't want a banana and basically, WOMAN, LET'S GO. THE CANDY ISN'T GOING TO SHOVE ITSELF IN MY BAG.

So we set out for trick-or-treating without feeding the little Mad Hatter. There's no convincing that kid once she's made up her mind, so there's nothing I could have done to prevent what would happen. It was meant to be, I guess.

Mila made it to about ten houses before she started getting cranky. Instead of running up to each door like I expected she would do, she kept making me carry her and help her and blah. I was WAY too involved in the whole thing. And then, even with my involvement, the kid was cranky and mean and not all that into it. Which, the hell? Halloween was invented years and years ago in anticipation of Mila. It's her holiday. Everything about it soothes her soul.

So, we quit early. Alexis kept begging for candy with her friends, but Mila and I went home long before we completed our rounds. About 13 seconds after we were home, she was scarfing down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and magically in a MUCH better mood. Chipper, even.

As the kid pinged around the kitchen all sorts of happy because that's what happens when you eat, it dawned on her that it was still Halloween. We then found ourselves in an argument about whether or not she should go back out and trick-or-treat some more. Which, NO. It was too late at that point.

Thus, I've argued with Mila several times since Halloween. If we drive through the neighborhood, she will absolutely fill me in on the score. "That house owes me candy. So does that one." "I still need to to trick-or-treat there." "I need candy from there."

There's going to come a point in the next few months when Mila manages to escape. She's going to bust through some door and take off running through the neighborhood. If she shows up at your house and starts yelling, "Trick-or-treat!" just be kind. You don't have to actually give her candy, but maybe fake it? Because that kid will destroy your soul arguing. It's not worth it.