Pushing The Boundaries

As Josie IS her father's just desserts, insofar as she is the reincarnation of his own rebellious childhood, she spends a fair bit of her time working out what she can get away with. Testing the limits as they're applied by the various adults around her.

This weekend just past, Wendy and I had spent saturday morning buying a fridge, a futon, some Jamie Oliver endorsed (wheeee) cookware, and eating yum cha. We also dropped by Mum's place so I could help Ant move some junk that was to go out on the upcoming council cleanup.

After taking care of business, Wendy and I were sitting in the swing seat in Mum's back yard when Josie came seeking entertainment. Two incidents of note, one while Ant was around and the other after he'd gone to help with Mum's internet connectivity problems.

Incident The First
Josie comes to see what fun is to be had in the back yard, and as is her wont immediately begins to divest herself of her coat (and generally any other clothing she's wearing). It was a sunny day but it was starting to get into late afternoon and starting to cool.

Ant: Leave your coat on Jose.
Josie: (giving Ant the 'cute' look as a delaying tactic while she tries to think of a plausible story) But ... THAT (pointing to the sun shade over the swing seat) will keep me .. WARM!
Ant: (looks at the shade cover for a moment as if he's considering her argument - which he isn't) No, leave your coat on.
Josie: But it'll keep me ... HOT! (again pointing to the sun shade)
Ant: I understand what you are saying, I'm saying no leave your coat ON Jose!
Josie: (with a look that was 60% resignation and 40% defiance, unzips her coat but leaves it on) I'll leave it like .. that.
Ant: Ok

(I'm sure she counted this little exchange as a draw though later I saw her wandering around without her coat on ... I don't know at what stage she managed to doff it)

Incident The Second
Wendy and I were sitting on the swing seat .. and Josie comes and sits with us .. for about five seconds. Then she decides that she urgently needs her pink pram that is in the shed, buried under a ton of 'stuff'. So I go and dig it out for her. She runs off to find a 'baby' to put in it.
"Grandpa! I need a dolly!" emanated from inside the house.

She comes back with baby installed in pram. And again sits on the swing seat but feels that the pram must also go on the seat. Things are a little squished. She then decides that she also needs the pink baby capsule (looks like what you'd have in a car for a very young baby). So I dig that out for her too. The padded insert is wet because the shed has been leaking when it rains. So while I'm hanging that on the clothes line, she goes and sits back on the swing seat with pram and baby capsule beside her and informs me that there's no room for me, that I'm too big and I'll just have to go sit somewhere else.

It's good to be the Queen.