My 3-year-old daughter is learning the fine art of manipulation.
Here’s an example. The other night, she woke up crying and said her throat hurt. This was a little out of character, so of course my wife and I completely overreacted. We coddled, comforted, swathed, cuddled and fussed over her for the next day. Whatever she wanted, she got.
She was fine the next night and things were back to normal.
Until, two days later, I told her to help me clean up the dress-up clothes she left on the playroom floor.
“Noooo,” she whined.
“You better help me, or all this stuff gets put away for good.”
“But if I do, my throat will hurt.”
Oh, you are wise, little one. Very wise.