Lawyer, negotiator, problem solver

Kyle contradicts everything I say these days. He's definitely exploring his independence. He tries to do everything in his time, on his terms, the way he wants to. Simple tasks like getting dressed or brushing teeth cause my patience to run very thin. He's got this new interest of washing his toys in the bathroom sink. From plastic animals to money to toy phones, they all get quietly taken in the bathroom for a wash. Kyle's become sneaky about it because he knows he's been told numerous times not to do it. When I tell him he's getting water all over, he says I'm not. When I tell him that some toys can't get wet and show him that his toy phone doesn't work anymore, he proudly shows me the next day (after it's dried out) that yes it does work. See mom, he says. When I tell him he might lose a small penny down the drain he says, no I won't. I plugged the drain. I can give him every reason in the book and he's got a rebuttal for each one.

He's been boycotting milk lately and only wants chocolate milk now. I've explained to him that chocolate milk is a treat and we don't drink it every day. "How about I drink chocolate milk on Tuesdays?" he asks. "Okay, just on Tuesdays you can drink chocolate milk," I say. "What day is it today?" he asks. "Today is Tuesday." "Yea, I get chocolate milk!" The next day he asks for chocolate milk and I tell him it's Wednesday. He says, "How about I drink chocolate milk on Tuesdays and Wednesdays." I know where this is going.

The boys have been enjoying playing outside in the nice weather and rediscovering outside toys in the garage. Kyle found a water squirt bottle from last summer and wanted me to fill it with water. I explained to him that it wasn't warm enough outside for squirt bottles or water guns. He would have to wait until summer for that. Well that answer wasn't okay with him and when I went in the house to check on dinner he decided to find his own water to fill the squirt bottle. I came out to find him at the bottom of the driveway filling his bottle with the water running d0wn the street from the snow melting. Very resourceful.