Earlier this week Mihaela had chicken nuggets for dinner. As per our custom, she is not allowed to eat any dessert until all her dinner is gone. So, I was sitting in the living room when Mihaela pops in and says, "I'm all done with my nuggets. Can I have a piece of candy now?" Being the dutiful father that I am (you know, the "Trust but Verify" kind), I walked into the kitchen to see that she still had a lot of nuggets on her plate.
I reviewed the house rules with her. I reminded her that lying is wrong and that she is not done until all her nuggets are gone. She sat down to continue eating. A little bit later, she announces once again that she is done. Once again I check. Once again she is not. Rules repeated. This goes on several time and I realize we are having a failure to communicate. There are three nuggets left on her plate.
Maybe she doesn't understand what all gone is. The concept of zero was developed by the Mayans, but not used by Western Civilization, so I can see how it could be difficult for a three-year old to comprehend. A new tactic was needed.
I sat next to Mihaela and asked her to count the remaining chicken nugget pieces. She gleefully complied by pointing to each one as she said,
"Not One. Not Two. Not Three."
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