Our very own Lil' Gandhi

Another post left unpublished, written March 4th, 2010, rediscovered tonight:

Our baby sweet potato is trying to learn how best to assert herself...

At about 6 months of age, a relatively long time ago for the life of a about-to-be-one-year old, our lil' sweet potato learned that if screaming to get what she wants or doesn't want will not work --and it doesn't-- she'd have to try out other options in an effort to get her way: Sickeningly sweet politeness; batting her eyelashes; smiling all demure-like; patting my cheek; patting my hand; offering me kisses and hugs (BRIBES!); asking the question a gazillion times over and over, hoping the answer will change; stomping her feet; stomping one foot; slapping her hand(s) on the kitchen table; tossing something at us (that SoOOOooO did NOT work); pointing her lil' pointer finger menacingly at us (which only elicited giggles from her parents); rolling her eyes dismissively (I have no idea where she got that from); and asking again 2 minutes later, or again an hour later, or the next day; etc. etc.

Most recently, for the last couple days, she's decided that to procure her desired results, she'll exercise her right to peaceful protest: She won't eat.

I know she's been sick for the last week, but what I'm talking about here, her not eating? - - this kind of resistance effort on her part, it is something else entirely different that dealing with a picky eater. She'll eat a Cheerio off the floor, but not one offered to her from either me or her daddy. She'll try over and over and over to drink her bath tubby water, but not a sip of water from an offered drinking cup. She wants to watch a 'Signing Times' DVD, "Now please, mommie," while we're in the middle of breakfast or dinner, and she'll just sit there, saying and signing that she's all done, ready to watch her show now, saying and signing "please."  And we refuse to negotiate. And so she has sat, not eating.

We'll see how long she can wait it out. My bet is that she'll be trying something new by tomorrow morning, seeing as her lil' hunger strikes haven't yet worked to her advantage.