Their Weapon

If you still hold the thinking that children are all naive, simple-minded and innocent, you might still be living in the 15th Century.

It’s probably true that they are not as scheming as adults, plotting devious plans all the time. But they are definitely smart. Their little hearts know who are those who truly love them, those who spoil them rotten, or those who will give them whatever they ask for.

My Joey is the same.

For example, she will ask Serene (her God-mother) to bring her out to the vending machine after service, because she knows she will always buy her a cold drink. She will always drag Kristie (my friend who dotes on her crazy) to buy her a packet of her fav snack – Mamee, and succeed all the time. When I say I wouldn’t buy her a particular snack, she turns to Kristie and ask her to buy instead. (It happened right before my eyes in front of the donut stall some time back.) She’s totally unabashed when it comes to such things.

Do I make Joey sound like a brat? =P (She’s not one, by the way.)

Kids get their way by using such weapons on adults because adults can hardly resist them and their cuteness (and sometimes irritating persistence). That’s for sure. And the kids know it.

Another group of people who generally cannot run away from the kids’ lethal weapons is a group called THE GRANDPARENTS.

I have no right to comment on whether I agree with this group of people and the way they treat their precious grandchildren, because I will hopefully join that gang in less than 30 years’ time.

Every Sunday that I bring my kids back to my parents’ house, Joey will refuse to take her afternoon nap. No matter how we coax or threaten her, she simply refuses. The main reason is because she knows she has the backing of her grandparents. They can hardly bear to make her do anything unwillingly. And I haven’t even mentioned how she makes them buy all kinds of toys and junk food for her when I’m not looking.

You see, kids are way smarter than we think. Once they weld their weapons, the adults are rendered powerless immediately. But I have to admit, they make life a whole lot more exciting that way. :)