Just a Little Bit

It occurs to me that Susie has learned the subtleties of "just a little bit" as opposed to all. When she woke up this morning, she was thrashing about her bed yelling at something. As I was getting out of the shower, all I heard was a series of "no! no! no!" and "aht! aht! aht!" followed by some undeterminable yelling. I poked my head in the door and asked her what she was fussing about. She rolled over and looked at me with still sleepy eyes, and said, "Want Mommy to hold Susie for a little bit." I was, as always, in a hurry to get ready for work, but I told her I had "just a little bit" of time . . . so I scooped her up and we had some snuggle time before we got on with our day.


This evening, Susie was struggling to go to sleep. Her daddy poked his head in her door and asked if she wanted to be rocked. She told him that she'd stay in her bed, but said, "I would like a little bit of water in a sippy cup, please." He passed by me on the way to kitchen and commented on her use of "a little bit". He theorized that it was as if she knew that if she just asked for water, he probably would have told her no.

Nah. She can't be that smart. . . . But can she?
When she asks Nana for sweet tea or candy, Nana knows I don't like her to have it. So, Susie is told she can have "just a little bit."

When I am in a hurry and Susie asks to be held, I will usually concede, but tell her "just for a little bit."
When I ask Susie to do something that requires patience I know I'm going to get her to be still for very long, so I tell her that I need her to sit quietly for "just a little bit."

We've taught her a fine lesson in negotiation.  She might not get everything, or all of what she wants, but if she asks for "just a little bit" it is more likely to go her way.  "Just a little bit," makes it OK. That just seems like such a complex thought process to me.

Shame on me for underestimating the intelligence of a 27 month old . . . just a little bit.