One time when we were watching her favorite cartoon series of the ‘smart tiger’ on my iPad (maybe actually hers in the little mind), the screen suddenly became black because of running out of battery. Then she turned to me, ‘Mama?’ I told her her that the device was out of battery and need to be recharged soon (I was so happy at this indeed). And I further suggested that maybe we could do something else like building castles etc..

Obviously she was unsatisfying at my response. She looked at me, thinking for a while, then answered, ‘Ehm, Baba? iPad!’ (it means that Baba has an iPad also.) I asked, ’Did you meant that you want Baba’s iPad?’ She replied ‘Ja, I want’ loudly. And I told her ‘Baba is not at home now. It’s not good to use his iPad without letting him know. Should we tell him first that Nicole wants to borrow his iPad?’This time she got upset at my words by repeating 'Nein, I want it! Now!’(Because she knew that her father normally wouldn’t allow her watch cartoons much) But I didn’t surrender to her unreasonable behavior. I told her, ‘Baba will be unhappy about it. Suppose someone takes yaour favourite car without your permission, won't you also be upset?’ Guess what kind of reply I got from her?! You won’t never imagine. I almost stopped my discipline at her answer, because she replied ‘I like Baba!’ and in the meantime made a big smile on her face.

I couldn’t stop laughing, because this is the way she deals with her father exactly. Every time when she annoys him, she apologizes by saying ’sorry’ and adding this beautiful words ‘I like Baba’, and it works perfectly. And now she got the knowledge that it seems a golden tool (Daddy needs to be cautious about the issue!!!). She knows exactly what she wants and what she doesn’t want. She wants the iPad. She wants it NOW. She doesn’t want to tell Baba for he may not let her use it. And she even knows how to deal with him when he is unhappy.

She is really a little people with sophisticated philosophy now. And I need to read more research articles on children’s psychology, and to communicate with her in depth to understand her.

kids thinking, from google image