manipulation

"I think my nails are too long. Mommy, are my nails too long?"

Sebastian says this at least two to three times a week. At least. Your first reaction is probably, "Great!", a child who doesn't scream and squirm away from getting his nails cut! Signs of a toddler boy who cares about appearances!

Except that you'd be wrong, because the nails comment is all about manipulation - of me. You see, he loves the movie Cars, and we are very strict about when he gets to watch it. Basically, almost never. Except that a few months ago, I made him a deal, that he could watch the movie if he let me cut his nails. You can see where this is going...

So now, a few times a week, he makes an elaborate show of examining his nails. He asks me to inspect them, to conclude that they are too long. And only then, once he's snookered me into agreeing that indeed his nails need to be cut, only then does he say, "And let's watch Cars, too!". He always says it in this bright and excited voice, as if it's just occurred to him that nail-cutting and the Cars movie go together. He never makes the mistake of first asking to watch the movie.

It's hysterical. It's his first attempt at manipulation. I love the patience he shows as he goes through the whole elaborate setup. It cracks me up. (I still only cut his nails once a week, though, but apparently hope springs eternal ... or his memory is short.)