It was not my first rodeo, and she was four years old
My child is quite the actress, but I’ve seen her throw tantrums that would bring a grown man to his knees. When I don’t react to her tantrum, she’ll get up and shrug, as if to say that she tried, and then she’ll find another way to get what she wants, even though she knows it won’t work. A few days ago, however, my friend and I experienced an afternoon with temperatures reminiscent of summer, and she suggested I turn on the air conditioning. She reported that her study was sweltering and that, without air conditioning, she was about to melt. I doubted that her face would melt off, plus she would turn into a puddle of goo, and I told her as much. She turned around and asked if, if she cried, I would turn on the air conditioner. I snorted with laughter and exited her room, but an hour later I heard the sound of her running the bathwater. She informed me that if I did not turn on the air conditioning, she would swim in the icy bathtub. She undoubtedly cried when I told her to enjoy herself but to clean up any spilled water. She asked if I didn’t love her, and I just stood there staring at her. There was nothing she could do to coerce me into turning on the air conditioning. It was not my first rodeo, and she was four years old. I raised two other girls who were once four years old, and I knew all of the tricks. I kissed her cheek and reminded her how much I admired her, then I walked away.