Conversation with a 5 year old while hiking

  • Jackie, there are consequences to your defiance and disrespect. You are old enough to reason with, so [for disobedience, lying or disrespect] we start taking away privileges: like the occasional cartoons or games, shopping sprees, sleepovers, sweets, independent play outside. I’m trying to teach you what’s good, and how to distinguish it from the bad. 
  • [stumping her feet, loud, forceful] you want me to go live in a village, with a single parent who is bad? Who doesn’t feed me good food and is mean to me? Is that what you want? 
  • [in disbelief] Oh my goodness Jackie! That’s absurd! You are my daughter! I want to take good care of you until you are and adult and able to care for yourself. I want to give you good gifts, to travel with you, to play games, to take you to school so you could learn all the things your mind is hungry to know, and so you could read, to make you delicious healthy food and to have a joyful peaceful family time together. 
  • [180 change in her demeanor; in a soft voice] you teach me what’s good so I could teach my own kids what’s good when I’m all grown up? That’s good.