Movies

At our house, I have the rule for the kids that their rooms need to be cleaned before they can watch a movie. Ava ususally has to help Owen with his room too, because she spends a significant amount of time in there messing things up as well.

This morning they were frantically cleaning away, because they haven't watched a movie in around 4 days, and oh my goodness, the world must be ending! After everything was all done to satisfaction, they trooped off downstairs to pick out the movie.

I also have the rule that they must agree on the movie they will watch. If they can't agree, we don't start one until they can compromise. Usually this involves something along the lines of I will watch this one, and next time you can pick it.

Today though, they came up together happy as clams, and presented me the movie- Tinkerbell the Lost Treasure. There is NO WAY that Owen would have agreed to this movie without some form of signficant negotiation. He is more of the Kung Fu Panda and Cars type. I turned to Ava and asked her what she promised Owen in return. She told me that she gave him money. At which point Owen had this huge grin on his face and was all happy. How much you are asking? 7 cents. 7 cents is all it took for my poor son to agree to that movie. He has zero concept of money, and the more pieces of it, the better it must be.

I don't know whether I should allow her to negotiate in this way, I much prefer the I will watch this one, and you pick next time, but it was so funny, and fairly ingenious of her, that I turned away and let it pass. Of course, it is probably not something I should encourage, or I should perhaps teach Owen the value of money, but it is funny, and on a Monday, I can appreciate that!