Evan: “Can we go get Icees?”
Me: “No.”
Evan: “When Grandaddy picks me up from school, HE takes me to get an Icee.”
Me: “I’m not Grandaddy.”

After several days of repeating this exact conversation, the tactic changed.

Me: “Goodnight Evan.”
Evan: “Wait! Don’t turn out the light yet. I need to tell you something.”
Me: “What is it?”
Evan: “I want you to think about Icees. Then, go to sleep and dream about Icees. Then, wake up and think about Icees all day while I’m at school. After you thought about it all night and all day, then pick me up from school and take me to get an Icee.”
Me: “I will think about Icees.”

The next day, we bought Icees on the way home from school. As we left the corner store, Evan had one more thought.

“Grandaddy would have let me get a candy bar, too.”

– – – – –

Amy: “Do you have any change that I can practice counting?”
Me: “No. Do you want to play the coin counting game on the iPad?”
Amy: “What about the penny jar?”
Me: “Okay.”
Amy: “Yay! Grandaddy lets me keep all the coins I count.”