The Force
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During this, at times nasty miserable winter, we’ve developed a routine of watching movies together on the couch. We’ll put on a princess movie, or a Pixar, make some popcorn and settle down to enjoy it. Then after about twenty minutes, Pudding will get restless or bored, and wander off. Cubby follows moments later. Spectrummy Daddy and I stay and enjoy the film though. Every time one of the kids makes a request to watch something, we concede, thinking that this time they will stick around a little longer.
The weather has perked up lately, so we’ve been able to spend more time outdoors, and our movie times have dwindled away. Even if they made a request, we found something else to do instead. On Saturday we got home mid-afternoon with no real plans. We sat on the couch, Pudding skipped up to us, looked Daddy in the eye and said.
I want to watch Star Wars. May I watch Star Wars please?
She’d never watched Star Wars before. Her only exposure to it is watching Daddy and I play Lego Star Wars on the Wii (I’m surprisingly blood-thirsty with a lightsaber) or looking at Cubby’s or Daddy’s many Star Wars t-shirts. Cubby showed early interest in Star Wars, one of his first words was AT-AT, and he loves wearing that t-shirt and his “yoga” one. Pudding, on the other hand, has expressed no such interest until recently. Daddy tried to lure her into watching on a couple of occasions by telling her there was a princess, but to no avail. Then one day she came up to me and told me that her brother wanted to use The Force.
Her Daddy of course, loved it. He is a huge Star Wars fan. So when she made the request, he dashed to make it happen for her. I tended to the popcorn, and they settled down. And once again, after around 25 minutes, she trotted away. Only this time, I noticed that she became uninterested at the exact time the popcorn ran out. I’d never realized before that there was a direct correlation between the end of movie snacks, and the onset of boredom.
I deduced that Pudding simply wanted to eat popcorn, and knowing that a request would be denied, she made one that her Daddy couldn’t refuse. Star Wars. Manipulating another to get them to do your bidding, is a special kind of power. A power that can used for good or evil. In a galaxy far, far, away, or on the couch.
I call it using The Force.
She’s a smart cookie, that one. I feel the force strong in her.
Now, could you use the force to send me some popcorn?
akbutler
February 21, 2011 at 7:58 am
Ohhhh, she’s a smart young Jedi warrior. The force runs deep in that one….hehe!
Seriously, that’s awsome you figured it out!
lizzbethy
February 21, 2011 at 9:31 am
In a sense, it’s good that she learns this skill, which means she can understand some social cues and use them appropriately. Not saying you’ll like it, of course. 😉
Astrid
February 21, 2011 at 9:58 am
Too funny and clever!
Nomads By Nature
February 21, 2011 at 11:27 am
That is actually kind of cool. To work the system, you have to understand the system.
Becky
February 21, 2011 at 12:25 pm
So sneaky!
Donna
February 21, 2011 at 3:15 pm
What a clever chicken she is!! Loved it!
fiona2107
February 21, 2011 at 3:37 pm
OMG, I think our children were switched at birth. My son has made me watch Star Wars a million times. All I can think about while I watch it is Spaceballs, so I laugh through the entire thing, which seriously annoys him.
Grace
February 21, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Well, she is a little girl!! she knows how to get what she wants!! good for her~!~! love it~!!
joeysmommy
February 22, 2011 at 7:41 am
“Me thinks the force is strong in this young paddawan!”….love it!!
Mr Locoman has a STAR WARS Encyclopedia, perhaps I could get him to actually sit down if I watched STAR WARS then.
Thanks Pudding you are very clever.
Love and hugs. xx 🙂
Alienhippy
February 22, 2011 at 7:41 am
That’s so funny! You know, I don’t think it’s at all a coincidence that the activities in which my Simon maintains an interest are generally the ones for which they provide plenty of snacks.:)
Diane
February 23, 2011 at 1:06 pm
[…] Before Abby Cadabby, Ernie, around the time of Bashful, but after Upsy-Daisy, there was Sleeping Beauty and all the Disney Princesses. She still likes Disney Princesses to this day. So do we. Having a 4 year-old girl in the house means we have an excuse to indulge ourselves by watching Disney movies. We have been waiting to add another title to the collection of Pudding approved movies, though popcorn lends an appeal to certain non-Disney choices. […]
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