A revealing conversation

Noelle and I were recently visiting one of those gourmet organic food shoppes. You know the type. Where everything looks and smells divine but is highly detrimental to the pocketbook (and perhaps the waistline). My intention for going in was to merely check the place out and perhaps find some loose leaf teas in the process.

Noelle, on the other hand, found the colorful displays, bins of imported chocolate, blocks of cheeses, and trays of samples a temptation she could not resist. I had to think fast and move even faster to save many items from being tossed, not very delicately, into our cart or being ripped open and immediately shoved into my toddler's eager mouth. You can imagine how displeased Noelle was with my attempts to deny her the pleasures of this fine cuisine.

Our conversation through the aisles, well her side at least, went something like this:

1. (spoken while grabbing and pointing at item) "Mommy, I need that."

2. (same as above) "I need it right now."

3. (same as above) "I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed it!"

4. (if steps 1-3 don't work, try the polite version) "I need it, pleeeeeeeeeease!"

5. (when none of the above work, try guilt) "Noelle sad!!"

6. (and if all of the above fail, try acting like you are the mommy, and scold the offending party) "Mommy, be nice to Noelle!!!"

At the time I found it cute and was chuckling behind my firm mommy face. But now (yes, we've had this same conversation several times since) that she has added a step 7 - her tiny arms crossed over her chest - I'm not chuckling as much any more.

;-)