Pool Stand-Offs

Dear Grandma,
Gavin's favorite thing to do in the backyard is to play in his pool. 

It's a little plastic baby pool, but you'd think Santa Claus lived there or something - he gets so excited to have his pool time.  However, we've had two stand-offs so far.  We tell him he can go outside and play in the pool after dinner, IF he eats all of his food.  I think he's using his selective hearing as he decides when he's done and then it's time to go outside to play.  Well, it breaks my heart, but we have to stick to our guns and tell him how much of what he needs to finish eating in order to go play in the pool.  One evening it was just half a meatball and another evening it was a piece of chicken.  Nothing monumental, it's just the principal of the matter.  He says, "no," we say, "ok, no pool."  He says, "pool please," we say, "eat your meatball."  Back and forth.  This went on for one hour one night.  Both times though, he finally ate what he was supposed to and then was rewarded with pool time.

I love seeing him splash around.  He rarely sits in the pool.  He prefers to ladle the water out and feed the flowers and plants. 

See, it's worth eating half a meatball to get to play in the water!

Love,

H