I lost an argument with Margaret this morning. Completely lost. She produced unanswerable evidence that I was wrong – indeed, wronG – in my position, and I was left spluttering ineffectively.
So here’s how it went:
Ellie was in her bouncy seat (or wobblebottom, as I called it until Margaret copied me) and I handed her Mortimer the Moose to play with. Alerted by some secret older-sibling alarm, Margaret came over and took the toy away. I said “No, Margaret. You can’t take that. It’s Ellie’s.”
“It’s Margaret’s and Margaret have it” she insisted.
“It’s Ellie’s toy, and she should get to play with it,” I said calmly and reasonably and with just a hint of steeliness.
Margaret howled. I suggested that she play with something else.
“Margaret look at pictures?” she asked. I took my phone out of my pocket. “No, Mommy’s other phone” she said. I got my old phone out of the stereo and got pictures for her.
A few minutes later she came over and showed me a picture:
“Baby Margaret have toy in a picture. It’s Margaret’s toy.”
And she’s right. I’ve got no leg to stand on.
Love it.
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