Get this girl an Acadamy Award!

This morning as I was packing up for work, Adrienne saw the corner of my iPad sticking out of my purse.  I try to hide it there since Adrienne believes that it is her personal $700 toy.  She, like all other babies we have met, love the iThings.  I have even seen her giving my iPad a big hug and kiss, which I don't mind too much because it's pretty darn cute. But babies have a funny way of showing their affection, so I have also seen her throw it to the ground and jump on it in a bout of excitement (probably from managing to shoot an angry bird in the correct direction, which is apparently really hard for her to do. Shooting them the wrong way--no problem). Another downside to sharing 'toys' with a toddler is that I often find that my iPad is covered in crumbs and some questionable dried substances.  I try not to think too much about what this film could be since its most likely some gross combination of milk, snot, and finger dirt. This is the real reason I also carry hand sanitizer in my purse.

But back to my story.  This morning, when my sweet little angel saw the corner of my hidden iPad, she rushed to me and started tugging on my purse.  That is when this transformation happened right in front of my eyes.  First the tugging at my purse, then the whining, followed in rapid succession by big alligator tears forming in her eyes, her face flushing, the whining turns to wailing...As the final act, her arms and legs turn to spaghetti and she drops to the floor in a full-on screaming tantrum.  Meanwhile Regis and I are standing over her relatively stunned at what has happened so quickly.  See Adrienne, at 20 months, has just begun testing the deep waters of the tantrum. Usually when this happens, we just ignore her in hopes that she will realize this behavior will not get our attention.  This morning, as an experiement, I bent down beside her and tried to make eye contact and said, "Adrienne, if you say 'please', I will let you play with mommy's iPad for 5 minutes."  

Poof!  Just like that, she is on her feet, her tears dried up, her face returns to normal color and a big smile across those chubby little cheeks. "Pleeeeeaaaassssseeeee!" Watch out Hollywood, we have got a talented actress on our hands! I have made a mental note of this moment to draw on when she becomes more skillful with weilding the tantrum. Remember, Self, she does NOT need the iPad/french fries/permanant marker/etc no matter how convincing she gets...  

We have yet to catch her in full acting mode, but proof that she can say please.  Also, if you are prone to motion sickness, I apologize in advance about this clip.

As a final qualifier to this post, I realize that you might find some parenting flaws in this method I was experimenting with, as Adrienne may think she should always get her way when she says please.  There is also a good chance you will find other parenting flaws in older posts or future posts if you continue reading. If you feel compelled to point out these flaws and/or offer parenting advice, especially those of you who have never had children or who are not in the midst of raising a toddler, please feel free to email me directly at my account: idontcare@mindyourownbusiness.com  

I will be sure to get back to you promptly.