to think that 3 year old logic makes no sense

[BertieBotts]

If I tell DS "Don't do that, you'll break it!" he always replies "But look, I didn't - it's fine!" - and then continues to do it and seems to have no concept of the fact that he might break it in the future, because it didn't break the first time.

However, if he asks a question and the answer is "No", he will keep on asking it eleventymillion times in the hope that the answer might have changed.

AAAARGH. Please tell me your toddlers are all the same. Although I would also welcome any tips on getting them to accept the damn answer to the question the first time. I don't give in, BTW, so it's not that.

It makes sense to them

drives you mad don't it,try saying no then give a short explanation why you said no,if they keep on just say you told him why not and thats the end of it,ignore any other talk on the subject.

Unless you have stolen my 3yr old, then you're not the only one.

YABU,

Of course it makes sense, to a three year old

Try reverse psychology! I'm having so much fun messing DD up, telling her I can read her ANY books except for Y and Z - of course she then picks those two :o

But YANBU, they're bloody annoying!

Yep.....
Can I have this lolly...
no it's tea time
But I want it...
I know, but I said no
But I want it....
GRRRRRRR
Nothing rational about my DD - at least my lovely DS is sensible. She'll have a good teacher....

Try "don't do that, you might break it"?

Sounds like a 3 year old to me!

Sounds disturbingly like my DH.

Sounds like my 17 year old

The two don't go together. Toddler does not equal logic ever, unless you are a toddler.

I gave up when I realised I was having an argument over the fact she really was a girl. She was aware she lacked the necessary appendages, but persisted none the less.

Dd (2) destroyed my logic, the "I want" was driving me nuts so I started responding "well I want my horsy back but no one is giving me that are they?" took her 1.5 days to respond by going to toy box, retrieving toy horse, handing it over and saying "now I can have my ice-cream" .

Now I am shamefully my parents - "I want never gets" "we'll see" "because I said"

I tell him the wrong answer when we get silly questions e.g. whats that? pointing at a tree. So I tell him its a flower, and he tells me the answer. Its going to mess up the baby's language acquisition tho!

I like some toddler logic tho - Santa brought baby brother's birthday presents today - well, he brought the last presents to the house!

"I can't understand my mum. I've banged my favorite toy against the kitchen table leg at least a hundred times and it has never broken, but my mum says I shouldn't do it because it will break. On the other hand - when I try and take her advice that an action can sometimes have a different outcome - and repeatedly ask her for an ice-cream to see if she might one time say "yes" rather than "no", she says I'm being illogical. Mums. They're mad. The whole lot of them."

My boy still like this -nearly 9 !

theredqueen has it!

My dd is 3, I despair at that little sycopath I truly do.

Softly! Clever girl!

Madame I do probably say that more often. Along with explanation of "Just because it didn't break this time, it's still more likely to break if you jump on it" etc. Along with removal of item, inevitably, when he still insists on doing the damaging activity.

lifechanger that's brilliant and I will be trying it!

I say "Did I ever change my mind before when you kept asking?" "No" "So I wont change it now will I? No means no" and on and on and on ......ariston

They do grow out of it though!

Just to prove that they do grow out of it, my 21 year old will take no for an answer!

My 14 year old and the other 4 dont, but they will.....eventually.....jibber jibber twitch...

Ds keeps driving me potty. He always want to play a game (duplo) on the computer but he doesn't actually he wants me to it and then he wanders off but he'll complain if he comes back and I'm not playing it.

I want to scream if you want to ply the fucking game play the fucking game then. Of course I don't

Ha but it's not just 3 year olds is it?

eg. Don't smoke that fag it might give you cancer! Oh but look it hasnt...Ill just have another....and another....

and

Hey does homeopathy work? no! How about now? no! or now? no! but what we really need is more trials... NO!

My 2 year olds logic is to get all his drawing things out after nagging for them then have me draw while he does something totally different and shows no interest in me. Then if I stop drawing he will cry and tell me no whilst pointing til I start drawing again!

Some of my DD1s (2.11) logic is perfectly logical.... She can count up to, "Twenty ten". When I ask, "Where's are you going?" She replies, "This way."

Oh, and when she was playing with an imaginary computer, "I jammed it. Then I buttered it. Then I brokened it."

Her little sister (13 months) is similar. She was walking around with only one sock, so I said, "DD2, where's your sock gone?" She sat down and took off her remaining sock and handed to me. Very logical.

I work with 3 year olds at nursery so see a lot of this. Have you tried the "higher power" argument?
"I want a biscuit"
"I can't give you a biscuit"
"why? I want a biscuit"
"I can't get biscuits out except at biscuit time"
"Why not?"
"It's not allowed"

This method can be used for a variety of purposes call centres use it a lot and is extremely good at breaking even the most determined asker. It doesn't matter how much they ask, the thing they want is beyond your power to give them.
I am so mean