With Kids You Get What You Bargain For

It is so funny, Landon has been into bargaining lately. If he wants something then he will tell me what I want to hear first and then what he wants. For example he wanted to go play in Grandma's backyard on the swings. I said he couldn't because we were leaving to go to his gymnastics class. He then said to me " We go to gymnastics, come home, eat and then play in the backyard right?" Just now he tried to bargain with me. We have these gummy bear vitamins. Well actually they are Melanie's but she has been giving them to Landon. He wanted some just now but he already had some this morning. He then said, "I eat dinner and then have some ok mama?" Nice try Landon. See for this reason I am not an advocate of having medicine and vitamins look like candy. The other funny thing that he does is when he is trying to bargain he tilts his head, talks in a higher voice and nods yes. Good try on the body language persuasion. I then realized that he is learning his bargaining from me. I always say he needs to do something first like put away his toys before he watches a movie, eat before he goes outside etc and that is where he is learning the skill. He even has my body language down to a T. What a good observer.