Leah is a hinter. Instead of asking for things that she wants, she drops some not-so-subtle hints. For example, rather than asking my mom to come over and play Leah will call her and say, “Mana, I sure do miss you so, so, so, so much! And I am awfully lonely.”
Today when we were out in the car and she kept talking about how hungry she was (“I am just the hungriest kid ever! I sure wish I had something to eat.”) I knew exactly what she was up to. I ignored her hints, though. If she won’t come out and ask for something then I don’t have to say no, so sometimes I just play dumb.
As we were passing a McDonald’s, however, she took it to a new level.
“Mommy, I am eating the inside of my cheek.” she told me.
“Why would you do that?” I asked, while checking in the rearview mirror to see if she was truly chewing on her inner cheek. She was.
“That is just how hungry I am.” She responded.
At that point I figured the kid had earned herself some French fries, and into the drive-thru I pulled.
Well played, Leah. Well played.
Thirty-Four Million Moments 