Thursday 29 January 2009

Negotiating tactics

This, hot off the presses chez Loth. A few moments ago, the boys were being sent up to get ready for bed. First Born was being amenable and happy to go (providing Second Born goes too: he hates to go upstairs alone at the moment). Second Born was haggling, or at least trying to haggle, with Husband about the evening arrangements.

Normally, once they are clean (ish), pyjama-d and clothes for the morning are laid out, they either play some weird imagination game together, read or have Daddy in the Dark. Or sometimes they have what is known as "Metabellus" which is an old fashioned Canadian novel we are slowly reading together with the boys (and us) substituting every second word in the text for alternatives of our own. Silly alternatives, you will be astonished to learn.

Anyway, SB was campaigning for Metabellus tonight. Husband was resisting as he is just back from a tiring business trip and is having difficulty forming coherent sentences. He tried to put SB off with "We'll do it at the weekend."

SB: But can we have Metabellus tonight, Dad?

H: We'll do it at the weekend.

SB: Give me a straight yes or no!

H: No.

SB: (without missing a beat) Okay, give me a bendy "no"............

He still didn't get his wish but he did raise a laugh.

6 comments:

  1. A bendy no, lol. I'm going to use that!

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  2. I just want to say, as an oldest child, that the older one should get a later bedtime than the younger. Even if it's just half an hour. It will make all the difference in the world. And why haven't I ever heard of this Metabellus if it's Canadian? Maybe it's after my time (small children-wise)

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  3. "bendy no!!!!" That one is too good to pass up:))
    I think I will start using it.

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