smart traps

Most mornings, if you tuned into our home radio station, it will probably be broadcasting some version of me asking

"Ana! Inga vaa... put on your panties, please... Ana?, Anaaaa..."
(Inga vaa = come here)

To which, the wee little adamant voice would reply

"No, Amma, no, Ana no ishio gwisgo panties"
(ishio = eisiau = want, gwisgo = wear, in Welsh)

At which point, knowing I have the smartest trick up my sleeve, you'll hear me casually coercing one of our kitties, with not a hint of chuckle in my voice

"OK. Twt, Twt, come here Twt, you can put on Ana's panties... Twwwtt..."

When the said kitty Twt starts walking towards me, you'd hear frenzied tinkling of anklets accompanied by baby feet thumping, and a resolute Ana declaring

"No Tukkie, no! My! Not Tukkie's panties... Amma, Ana's panties, Ana gwisgo panties!"
(Tukkie = Twt, one of our kitties)

And you'll probably not hear the wonderful smirk I would be sporting, beaming with the Mission Accomplished feeling.

Of late Ana has learnt to say "My!" (mine) and somehow knows that it laid claim to whatever it is she is pointing to, holding, or trying to grab out of others' grasp...

Now, being the typical toddler with the implicit understanding that the whole world revolves around her needs, her likes, and her moods, Ana has had a little bit of a possessive streak in her. Which, as all smart mommies know, can be leveraged in several ways to get some desired constructive outcome, as demonstrated...

All would be fine, if only I hadn't realized what a trap my smart mind has set up for me to fall into down the road: we are trying to teach her to Share now, and my little trick has come back to bite me in the you-know-what!

So, next time you tune in, if you hear me asking

"Twt, Twt want to share panties?"

try not to laugh at me :-)

Am just another mommy trying to unlearn and relearn...