Fresh off a line from your favorite sitcom:

Davis (8), "Mom!  Will and I stopped reading at recess.  Now we get our heads stuck in benches."

This statement is so wrong on so many levels.

Deal with the Devil (by that I mean deal with Mom)

As Davis came up the stairs this morning, he got a scolding from me, "Davis!!  You've worn those shorts the last two days in a row, and you wore that shirt on Monday.  I haven't done the wash yet.  Those clothes are dirty.  Go back down stairs and change!!"

"But Mom, I love these clothes.  I don't want to change."

"I don't care if you love the clothes,"  I replied.  "What will people think if you keep wearing the same clothes over and over?  They will think I am not taking care of you.  Go change."

"But Mom, I don't want to."

"Fine.  You have two choices:  Go downstairs and change, or pay me a dollar for each item of clothing you want to retread in."

He then pouted his way down the stairs, and I thought for sure I had that fight won.

Then he came back upstairs.

"Davis!!  Why are you still wearing those clothes?"

His reply was to hand me two dollars.  He smiled.

Why do I feel like I lost this argument even though I am two dollar richer?