Miss M has recently begun declaring her love for me with effusive spontaneity. It is so sweet to have my little girl chattering away about how there is a daddy spider and a baby spider on a web near the window, then from there jump to the words “I love you Mummy.”
There is no pattern to it, she takes me by surprise, and my heart just melts instantaneously and dribbles out all over the floor as I answer, “I love you too babe.”
But this past week, I have noticed a certain air of artifice slipping into these heart warming annunciations. An awareness that wasn’t there before, an ulterior motive that tells me my little girl is learning the ways of the world and is growing up.
I’ll be washing the pots and she’ll grab my leg, wipe her nose on it, throw a huge smile and a great big “I love you Mummy” my way, then disappear before I get chance to check my leg for bogeys and discuss with her the correct procedure for wiping sticky green nose excretions from her face.
I’ll be at the PC and she’ll climb up onto my knee, cover my face in chocolate kisses, rub her grubby little chops all over my shoulder then jump down shouting “I love you Mummy” as she runs off to find her sister.
I’ll ask her to tidy away her toys and she’ll lay her head on my arm, whisper “I love you Mummy” and then continue to watch ‘The Little Mermaid’ while her toys remain untouched, unmoved, still messy.
And I know that she does love me, and she knows that hearing those words makes Mummy smile and feel happy, but it seems to me Miss M has also decided that she can charm her Mummy into submission and get away with blumming murder, or at least with not doing as I ask, or with wiping disgusting kid lergy on me.
In some ways it doesn’t really worry me. I mean, it’s sort of cute that she is beginning to learn these small manipulations. It’s good for her to know that she can control what happens in her life, and for her to realize that her words and actions affect other people.
I love that the world is opening up for her and that she is this little sponge continuously soaking up knowledge. But sometimes, well, sometimes it’s a blumming nuisance. Last night I realized that she had learnt that you can still love someone and disagree with them…
Bugger.
Looks like we’re starting with the ‘buts’.
![[MFM's mummy bloggers you really should read]](http://www.madeformums.com/news/images/mummybloggerlogo.jpg)
August 27th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Punkin is very generous with the kissing when she senses Mummy getting annoyed with her… and she’s only 20 months old!
August 27th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I hate the buts. What’s even worse is when they start threatening. I have to let it go, but my internal heart screams, “You have to love me, no matter what!”
She sounds very cute, regardless of the manipulation.
Thanks for stopping by.
August 27th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
oh so cute! enjoy it whatever her motives
August 27th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Your roller coaster car just reached the tip of the track. Get ready.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Hm. Soon she’ll be emptying the dishwasher and then asking you if you can get her a Wii – the two entirely unconnected of course.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Gasp. My little girl does exactly the same thing. Have they been sharing secrets? If I’m going to tell her off or if she knows she’s done something wrong, she throws her arms around me all dramatically and with a huge smile on her face (that looks too much like a smirk for my liking) says: “I LOVE you mummy”
August 27th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Oh my…her and Emma do have soooo much in common.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
the thrower showed me tons and tons and tons of love and hugs today. oh my bob was he full of love and adoration.
because.
really i wanted him to spend a penny. just one little poo in the potty was all i wanted.
instead i got hugs.
hmmm…wait…i got hugs instead of poo. that *sounds* good!!!
August 27th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
well, since it appears all kids do this, you’re learning you didn’t INSTILL manipulation, which is always good to know. A relief for me as well
August 27th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Looks like she’s picked up her feminine wiles early.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
She’s SO adorable.
August 27th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
As long as those “buts” don’t turn into asses.
Haha
Okay – not that funny.
Yes – I remember coming to that notion with Gilda. It’s kinda… alarming, isn’t it, that they know or that they’re even trying to “work it” so young!!!
BUT – she’s got a good mommy who will set her straight.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
oddly enough…Sugar has picked up on this a bit lately as well. She does it as an attention getter recently.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
My youngest kept kissing me and kissing me, until I suddenly had a suspicious thought and asked “are you kissing me because Mummy has been given a box of chocolates?”
She smiled sweetly and nodded.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
LOL!! Between your post and Frog in the Field’s comment, I am giggling uncontrollably! Is this what happens? My son told me I was pretty two days ago, and you’re telling me that it’s only a matter of time before he really IS hoping I’ll buy him a car if he says that to me? *sigh* Oh, well. No matter. I’ll buy him one anyway.
August 28th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Hehe, yeah that’s the stage where you really aren’t sure if they realize the depths to which they can manipulate or not. Like, they know they can do it, and the more they do it the more you start wondering about the sincerity. Little boogers.
August 28th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Ah manipulation! Bugger is right!
August 28th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Love the Toon .. and yes she is clearly in training to be either a lawyer or an arbitrator … til then she’ll need biz cards that read: Miss M, Mummy Manipulator Extraordinary
August 28th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Thalia’s Child, oh they start young.
Eowyn, she really is, even though she’s a fiend sometimes.
Belle I do, it is very sweet. It just makes me smile like a big cheshire cat.
Writer Dad I know, and I blumming hate Roller Coasters unless it’s a log flume. I am such a wuss.
Iota, now Miss E has that down to a fine art now she is 8. Sighhh. I have no chance really.
Tara, so that’s where she got it from. Tsk.
Kim, when they meet it will be scary. (But I still can’t wait for that day.)
Holly, LOL, generally hugs are much better than poo, but poos have their good points, hee hee.
Heather of the EO, yep, definitely a relief hee hee.
WT, I am so proud. You men will have no chance.
Maria, she is, snotty nose and all.
Sybil, it’s a bit scary, but kind of amusing too. Hoe Gilda is excited about school.
Corey it must be an age thing, they’re testing so much stuff at the moment aren’t they?
Frog in the Field, hee hee, a girl after my own heart. Miss E does that too. It’s so transparent it’s hilarious.
Debs, it won’t be long sweetie, sorry. But you are pretty.
Lilacs, I don’t think she gets it yet, she’s just trying stuff out. It’s amazing to watch.
Daryl, definitely hee hee.