The best way to get Lyla to smile for a picture is to tell her not to smile. Perhaps I should apply that tactic to other facets of her life.
The dear child is experimenting with sticking it to the man. Her daycare report said "Lyla had some trouble listening and saying 'No' when asked to do something." The teacher told me that in response to something like "Lyla, it's time to put away the apron," Lyla would decline and then run away.
"Are you sure? That doesn't sound like my Lyla," I replied, and we both laughed.
Here's the conundrum: two-year-olds are smart enough to subvert authority in myriad ways, but they're not smart enough to respond to most attempts at discipline.
At home, our pre-bedtime ritual is awful. (Well, it's awful if I do it but somehow smooth when Julie does it, which feels awesome.) My problem is I head up there with Lyla and she immediately goes into her big-girl room to engage in big-girl activities. Try getting her to agree to a diaper change while all that's going on.
So I'm going to turn the big-girl room into the reward for everything else. The door will remain closed until we've done teeth, diaper, and pajamas. Then she can enter the big-girl room and read books, rearrange her magnetic letters, and draw with markers. We'll see if it works.
If not, maybe I'll employ the reverse psychology that's so effective for smiling. "Lyla, do not lie still on that changing table. Flail, Lyla, flail!"
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