Strong Willed Child? You need a Strong Drink...

I appear to be promoting drinking as an appropriate outlet for relieving the stress associated with raising a kid that questions EVERYTHING. If it works for you, fantastic, because it's doing NOTHING for me.

This is one of my favorite pictures of EXHIBIT A...



He's so cute and happy here wearing a goofy hat at Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco. If we had tried to take this picture today I'm pretty sure it would go like this:

Me: Hey look at the cool hats!
Child: Why? You really hate me don't you?
Me: This place has lots of chocolate, isn't that fun?
Child: Fun? You never let me eat anything I want. You put onions in everything. You probably put them in waffles. You lie all the time and call them shallots.
Me: Look! I'm trying on funny hats to make you smile because you're sad! Did you know that shallots are often used for their garlic characteristics- not the onion ones? I read that on the Internet!
Child: I can't be seen in public with you. I am not related to you and if you keep standing near me I'll scream for the security guard and tell him you're not my mother.
Me: How about some more chocolate?
Child: How about a new cell phone and an unlimited texting plan?
Me: No
Child: See, I told you that you hate me.

When I see him later tonight I'm going to give him a big squeeze and tell him how much I love him. I can't wait because I had onions for lunch.