So I have to write this down so that I don't forget it...
Thursday night Malachi and Luke spent the day with Maureen, the nanny. Maureen bought Malachi a kite that he proceed to leave at Auntie's house. I have been reading a book called "Love and Logic" and so I decided to use some of the tools in the book when he began to beg me (when we were almost home) to turn around and go get the kite. After about the tenth "no", I told him he could take a cab and go get the kite if it was that important to him. (I thought he'd say "no way" and we'd be done with it right then and there). But no, my stubborn little boy said "okay, will you call one for me?". Now he had me on the spot. "Ok", I said. So we get home and he makes me call the cab company (aka daddy with an accent). The "cab driver" tells him it will cost $30.00 round trip. He digs in his piggy bank and since he can't count money yet, thinks he has enough. When we tell him he doesn't, he wants to call the cab driver back and see if he can sell any of his toys to make up the difference. ARE YOU KIDDING ME KID, GIVE IT UP!! But no, we call back. The cab driver mysteriously knows he has a nice pair of skis and a leapster and agrees to take these in exchange for the ride. But all this is taking a long time and it is getting late. I then implement plan B and tell him that our door closes at 9pm and if he's not back, he won't be getting back in for the night. It is after 8, I tell him he won't make it. He tells me he'll stay at Aunties. I tell him he'll have to catch a bus to school. He gets some clothes for the morning. SERIOUSLY. So time goes on while he looks for his leapster... it approaches 9pm, I try telling him Auntie's door will also be closed and locked at 9pm and he'll have to sleep on her porch (thinking he's gonna bag the whole idea). Nope, he gets his tent. Chad and I are thinking "Is this kid for real?" For every idea we have, he has a response. It is getting ridiculous, but we were determined not to let him know we were bluffing when we said the cab was on the way.
So Chad tells him he'll have to wait on the porch for the cab to come. He goes outside (now normally, this kid won't even set foot outside without one of us, so we were baffled that he would do all this for a $5 kite). Now mind you, he is wearing short sleeved pajamas, no shoes, he has his school clothes for tomorrow, his skis and boots, and all the change from his piggy bank and standing on my porch shivering. He rings the doorbell and asks daddy for something, but doesn't say anything about coming in... he rings again... and again, but still doesn't come in. Finally, I tell him he has to stop ringing the doorbell because it is going to wake up the baby. He obliges and continues to stand outside. RIDICULOUS. Finally after what feels like forever, he gets tired of waiting for the cab (who has had a flat tire and is taking longer than normal) and comes in. PHEW.
