While are Grandma’s house, Justin decided to announce to anyone who was listening (specifically Grandma and Grandpa Bob) that there was a toy he really, really, really wanted. I’m pretty sure he assumed that because he was under Grandma’s roof it would either appear magically or he thought that someone was going to leap out of their chair and go to the store right at that moment to fulfill his wish. I can assure you that neither were an option…especially because it was Super Bowl Sunday and no one was getting off the sofa.
After making his announcement, he was largely ignored. Probably not the response he was hoping for. However, I saw an opportunity here.
“Justin,” I said, to acknowledge his existence. “I’ll make you a deal.”
He perked up in anticipation.
“Here’s the deal: If you get 100% on your spelling test this week and 100% on your speech, I will buy you that toy!”
I saw the wheels in his brain turn in order to process what I had just said. He looked into my eyes to make sure that that I wasn’t bluffing. My son, “The Negotiator,” was about to meet his match in Dad “The Non-Negotiator.”
He took a moment to calculate his response. With caution, he smiled and asked: “What’s deal number 2?”
I smiled and answered him “Justin….there is no deal number 2!!!!” And with that, his smile vanished and the room erupted with laughter.