line of reasoning

The other day Jemma asked if she could have a play-date at her friend Julia's house. She hadn't been invited - and on top of that I had an earache, and thought we could spend some 'quiet time' together reading in bed.

"Not today," I told her. "I'm not feeling well, and I'd like you to come home. You can take care of me. We'll warm up some olive oil and drip it in my ear." I knew she would probably find this strange - but interesting.

"Okay," she said... but then a few minutes later she asked to have a play-date again.

"I need your help today." I said.

"If you don't let me go to Julia's I won't help you." she replied.

"We can't have a play-date today" I said, "but you don't have to help if you don't want to - I can do it myself."

I guess she thought she needed some leverage... Jemma knows that it's important to me that she's respectful - and she's had several conversations with her father about it recently.

So she said, "If you do it yourself I won't be polite to you."

"Well, I think you'll have a big problem with Papa then..." I told her.

And she said - absolutely seriously - "I know... That's why you need to let me go to Julia's house."