A Battle of Wills ...

Having a 2 year old in the house means that many times a day we have a "battle of wills" that takes place. For the most part, that battle occurs between Samantha and ME because I am the primary caregiver. Last night, that battle actually took place between Samantha and Steve.

It had been a long day for Samantha and she was tired. But nonetheless, we try to stick to routines and it was a bath night for her. At the end of her bath, she knows that she must always pick up all of her toys and put them back on the shelf before she can get out.

Steve was overseeing the bath process last night (I was waiting in Sam's room with the PJs and bedtime story), and they battled over the idea of putting all of her toys away. After a drawn-out, very lengthy amount of time, Samantha ended up in "time-out" and Daddy explained that she would have to pick-up her toys in the morning.

So, that is what we did. After she got up and had breakfast today, I took her back upstairs to pick up all of her toys in the bathtub. She remembered and understood completely why she had to do this. And, she did it easily and without effort. Lesson learned.

Starting to pick-up her toys

Putting the last of the toys back on the shelf