Circular Arguments

If there’s one thing I remember from my childhood its the hot flush of resentment of being told the reason I couldn’t do something was simply “because I said so.” I’m determined to try and be fairer with our two, and at least give them a chance to give me a valid reason why a particularly daft course of action seems appropriate to them.

First blood has gone to M’laddo on this one I’m afraid. Normally his arguments go a little something like this on being told he’s had too much TV and can’t watch any more:

Me: No more telly I’m afraid.

Boy: But we want to.

Me: Give me a good reason why and you can watch more

Boy: But me want to.

Me: That’s not a good reason

Boy: But me want to.

Me: Why?

Boy: But me want to.

Me: Why?

Boy: But me want to.

Me: Why?

Boy: But me want to.

Me: Why?

Boy: But me want to.

Me: Why?

And so on until one of us loses the will to live.
Recently he’s had issues over me going to work and I’ve patiently explained that we would have to live in a cardboard box in a field if I didn’t go to work. Unfortunately since the weathers been nice, this hasn’t held the fear it once did, so I’ve had to up the game as I mentioned a week or so ago. I took the drastic step of saying that if I didn’t go to work we would have to live in a cardboard box in a field and we wouldn’t be able to afford a cardboard box big enough for bunny. He looked at me with a mixture of love and pity in his eyes and said, “It all right Dadda, me get bunbun nother box from supemarket.”
All he needs to do is apply this level of reasoning to his endless “but me want to” rationales and I’m going to to be up a certain creek without a paddle.
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