Willfullness

My three year old daughter should be in sales. She displays some very fundamental means of influence well. That and never really hearing me say "no". If I say "no" with a frown, she stops and tells me to "put a smile on my face" then proceeds with her task of influencing me.

It can be a question like "do you want to come play with me in my room?" It depends sometimes its a great time to play with a toddler in their bedroom and pulling out all the toys. Sometimes its 8:30 in the evening and the last thing in the world I want to do is play in the bedroom.

She will toddle on over to me and ask "Daddy, do you want to play with me in my bedroom?" "No baby not tonight", I answer knowing that soon this child is going to go tattle on me to her mother for being MEAN. She asks again and again I say "no". Again and again and again she asks the same question. Any chance of relaxation is gone. I can feel myself starting to cry, "why do you want to play now?"

She starts to lose her patience and yells at me,"Let's play Now!" She cannot believe that I do not like her idea of playing in the bedroom. I think that I am hearing the question from my daughter at three, a question that will cause me severe anxiety when she asks that to someone else when she is 18 years old.

What happened to the days when fear was a good behavioral tactic. I could threaten her with something...anything...I'll tell Santa not to come, but I always end up lying on the floor in my daughters room while she plays with all of her toys. I hope she starts selling.