Lucy has a magnetic Responsibility Chart, where she gets to win magnets for doing things like Being Nice, Not Whining, Cleaning Your Room, etc. When she gets it all filled up, she will be able to buy a baby stroller for Megan, the newest addition to her imaginary family.
On Saturday, she made a colossal mess of her room. In what seemed like an effort to ward off my inevitable request that she clean her room, she brought me the responsibility chart.
"Here, Mom. I don't want this anymore."
"Babe, what's the deal?"
"Well, I don't want to do my responsibilities anymore, so can you please put this away?"
"But that's how you will get your baby stroller, by doing your responsibilities."
"I don't want to."
"Well, I don't want to do my responsibilities sometimes either but..."
"Well, I don't want to."
Jason managed to convince her to clean her room Sunday, but it took lots of threats and bribes and about three hours. The responsibility chart is hanging from our bedroom doorknob, untouched since Saturday's shirking.