We were in the car travelling home with my two beautiful daughters. The older one upset the younger one by simply taking hold of an object the younger wanted.
Younger daughter wound up the whine, with a melodic rise and fall in tessitura, “Muuuu…uuumm”. I came down heavy with zero tolerance on whining.
“Please don’t whine and no you can’t have what your sister’s got”. This was received with a protest whine, so I reiterated my stand point and redefined the boundaries.
“I said “No” and if you’re going to whine you can walk home.”
We were not far from home. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw her little face contort into squishy sulky pout. She went quiet for a bit and, bearing in mind she still wanted what her big sister had, I just love the logic that prompted her next statement.
Ding! Lightbulb moment! –
“R… can walk home!”
And in the unspoken I heard the hidden clause “…and I can have what she’s got.”
