The Negotiator - The Jelly Bean Saga Continues

Alexander's well advertised jelly bean phase has taken on a new depth. We have been offering jelly beans as rewards for acquiescing to our demands. I'd rather have him go to bed with dinner in his belly along with a few jelly beans, than have him go to bed with half a cup of milk in his belly and a bad attitude. We think it's a win-win situation. He has also taken on a defiant two year old attitude. He would say "no" to ice cream if he thought it would spite us, his parents (he actually did say no to ice cream in a series of "Do you want...?" questions).

This morning he was being moderately defiant and he was also zoning into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on T.V. Both Andrew and I asked him individually to get dressed and he ignored us both, and upon another request he said, "No." So Andrew, in sleepiness and little patience said, "Alexander, come get dressed and I will give you some jelly beans."

So I chimed in to make sure he didn't get too many. "Okay, Alex you will get three jelly beans if you get dressed." He was still kind of ignoring us. "Alex, do you want jelly beans?"

"Yeah!"

Andrew jumped up to get the jelly beans, "Okay, I am going to go get three jelly beans for you."

As Daddy walked away Alexander replied to him, "Yeah, okay. Four!"

We both chuckled. Did he just negotiate the price of getting dressed? Andrew said, "Okay, four and you will get dressed."

It still took some coaxing to get him to get dressed and accept payment of the jelly beans. He didn't quite understand that because he was getting jelly beans that meant he needed to get dressed NOW. Instead of on his own time. He insisted the jelly beans be in his hand as he got dressed.

"Arthur's Jelly Beans" is this week's favorite library find due to the obvious co-star.