Los Treses Terribles

So the terrible threes (yes terrible threes, I'd go back to two any day!) have been hitting us hard. The constant power struggle is a bit wearing. This kid is stubborn! For example, we were a friend's birthday party and Joaquin was quite rudely demanding a specific piece of cake. I told him he was being rude and he needed to say please or he couldn't have any cake. Normally he'll say please if reminded, but since I was rebuking him, he got all annoyed by it and refused to say please. We left an hour later without him having any because he wouldn't say please. Who sticks to their guns when chocolate cake and ice cream are on the line? Even in a good mood Joaquin can be hard to take. He loves to be extremely loud, does crazy things and thinks they're funny (and expects you to as well) and is insanely hyper. Sigh. However, he is a smart little cookie and realizes that we're getting a little fed up. He has a few coping strategies to bring us back to his side. First he says "I love you" to us, with increasing volume, until we respond with the right amount of fervor. If you say it in an less than loving tone, he tells you, "Mommy, talk happy!". My favorite is the small talk. He'll come up, sit down beside me and say, "So, what your name is?" I think it's a combo of "What's your name?" and "What's this" or something, but with a cheerful Joaquin grin it makes a good mommy pick-up line.