I found this definition online word for word:
manipulative - skillful in influencing or controlling others to your own advantage; "the early manipulative techniques of a three-year-old child"
Here is an example of the early manipulative techniques of MY three-year-old child:
P1: Daddy can I have that?
(It was a pretty princess pack with Disney princess plastic rings, princess hair ties, princess bracelets, etc. As I picked it up to look at it, I noticed there was also a Dora the Explorer version just like it except with Dora instead of the Disney princesses.)
Me: Yes you can, but look. Here is a Dora one.
Me: Yes you can, but look. Here is a Dora one.
P1: Dora!
Me: Do you want the Dora one or the princess one?
P1: I want both of them.
Me: You can't have both. Pick one. Dora or Princess.
P1: Both.
Me: You can't have both of them. You can get one or you can get zero. How many do you want? One or zero?
P1: Two.
Me: Presley, I'm serious. You can't have both of them. You get one of them or you don't get either. Which one do you want?
P1: Dora.
(I hand her the Dora one)
P1: Daddy?
Me: Yes Presley?
P1: Can you get the princess one for Paxten?
Me: No Presley. Paxten doesn't want it.
P1: But she does.
Me: No she doesn't. You're just trying to get both of them aren't you?
P1: Yeah! (Smiling)
It cracked me up. I love my three-year-old child!
And I always thought between me & my sons, I was the one that knew how to manipulate my sons to get them to behave the way I thought they should. At 3, it's the other way around for you? Hmmmm - you could be in for it! Maybe not, you probably learned manipulation skills from your mother. It's not as bad as it sounds - you're just using manipulation to get them to have the values you think are best. It's a parent's job, right?
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