Shared this with Beau, because yes, we have 99 problems and this is, like, 98 of them. It's the single most infuriating thing about parenting because it's not like "stop doing the thing" is an irrational, arbitrary request when the thing is something like "stop throwing yourselves headfirst off the couch" and "don't hit" and "actually no you can't eat an entire bag of cotton candy all by yourself." Or, alternatively, "actually yes, you do need to try and use the toilet, it's been twelve hours!!"

I had for some reason assumed that being straightforward with the kids about the things that we actually needed them to do would bring them around to seeing why the thing needed doing or not doing. Surely, I thought, the only reason why children threw tantrums and were hideously disobedient was due to some clashing of expectations or capricious and injudicious use of parental authority! Surely if I only ever have them do things that are necessary, and give them their own heads in the choices that can truly be theirs, they'll see that I'm fair and will trust enough to follow my lead!

AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAASOB