pouty princess

we were at the splash park today with friends, and everyone was having fun - except sailor. yup, the princess was pouty. she wasn't excited about the water, the playground was hot, and she kept saying in my ear over and over:

"i wanna go HOOOMMME," in her tiny whiny princess voice.

i had a flash forward to some family vacation in the distant future, and a pouty teenager slouching around saying, "i wanna go HOOMME," in the same whiny voice.

ugh.

i tried getting her involved - i swung her around by her arms, offered her toys.

i tried threatening - "if you don't stop whining, you will have a time out."

then i just tried ignoring. i figured that if she was determined not to enjoy her three-year-old self, i wouldn't let her spoil anyone else's time. including mine.

and sure enough, in her crazy mercurial way, about fifteen minutes before we left she started really having fun... splashing herself with water, laughing, sitting in my lap... just like the whole last hour hadn't happened.

and when we pulled into the driveway, as she was getting out of her carseat, she smiled and said, "i had a GREAT day, mommy!"

go figure.