My kids are always begging me to go to Disneyland. I suppose I'm not alone in this. The thing that kills me is how well they argue their position. It's like I'm raising a pack of lawyers in my home. That's maybe the worst part of the whole thing - imagining that I'm incubating the next generation of shysters simply by encouraging my kids to back up the claims they make.
That's why I continue to refuse to take them to Disneyland even though they've mustered some really good arguments in their favor. I don't want them to think that they can get what they want simply by being right.
The problem is, mealtimes have become unbearable. The kids pelt me with their carefully-crafted cases for a trip to Disneyland. The oldest has even put together a provisional budget and somehow hacked into my family financial records to get the data to prove that we can afford it. Her numbers look pretty convincing, but this only hardens my resolve.
My wife and I have begun fighting more because of the Disney-trip issue. It turns out that there's a yawning gulf between us on this one. Apparently, she's not as worried as I am about churning out a pack of voracious lawyers. She thinks we should go.
I've now agreed to a compromise. We're having a chore-doing contest, and the winner gets to accompany Mommy on a one-kid-one-parent trip to Disneyland. The losers have to stay home and help Dad do a deep clean of the house. The way they're going at it, the deep clean might be done before anyone goes to Disneyland. I have to say, I feel like I've got this one nailed...