Comic Relief

We've had a hard day. A long walk this morning. This afternoon I moved a tree and winterize our awning and our air conditioner. So when came time to put the kids to bed, I wanted everything to go well, which they didn't of course. After Sabrina was done with her cereals, I asked her to go brush her teeth:

"Sabrina, please go brush your teeth"

Nothing's happening. She's doing what she does best when she doesn't want to do what I want her to do: ignoring me.

"Sabrina can you go brush your teeth please"

This time I'm told she wants more cereals (a favored stalling technique). I saw no, she's already had lots. We start this tug of war battle where I say "go brush your teeth" and she says "give me more cereals". It comes to a point when I start losing it and tell her that if she doesn't heed my request I'm going to bring her in her room, door closed. To which she answers:

"Say pretty please, and I'll go brush my teeth".

Please understand that at this point all negotiation possibilities are gone and I'm not in a humor to let her win. There is no way I'm going to say pretty please so my answer to her is:

"I'm bringing Mathieu's bowl to the kitchen, when I come back you better be on your way to brush your teeth or I'm bringing you to your room".

She stays steady on her seat while Suzanne is saying "Pretty please, Sabrina, now go brush your teeth". When I come back she is still sitting on her seat, telling me to say "Pretty please" or she won't go brush her teeth.

I grab her in my arms and start going upstairs, at which point she understands that I'm not joking. At the same time, Suzanne is taking Mathieu to brush his teeth by laying him down on his changing table.

Before I reach the first step, Sabrina concedes and she asks me to bring her to the sink, which I do. As I'm passing near the changing table, I hear Suzanne tell Mathieu to stop clowning around and to lie on his back.

To which he answers:

"Say pretty-please"