Me: Yeeeeeessss?
Paige: Can I [do an "experiment"/play dress up in your closet/put on face paint/take all the living room furniture outside, etc.?] (all when we have to leave the house in under 20 minutes).
Me: No.
Paige: Pleeeeeaaaaasse??
Me: No.
Paige: Just one little [insert request]?
Me: No, Paige.
Paige: But why?
Me: Because I said so.
Paige: But WHY though?
Me: Because [insert brief explanation of disastrous mess]. And also because we don't have time for that right now.
Paige: But I promise I won't [insert inadequate assurances of avoidance of disastrous mess], and I'll be super faaaast?
Me: I said no, Paige. How many times do I have to say it?
Paige: BUT PLEASE CAN I?!
Me: Let me ask you something. Every time you ask me to do something like this in this context, the answer is no. And you won't take no for an answer. So why don't you just stop asking me and just do whatever you want to do?
Paige: But then I'll get in trouble.
Me: Well, that's a chance you'll have to take I suppose. And isn't potentially getting in trouble preferable to having this conversation five times a day? It's called asking forgiveness not permission. You should start practicing it now. It will come in handy later in life, I PROMISE you.
Paige: Moooooomm??
Me: Yeeeeesss?
Paige: Can I please [insert next unreasonable and messy request here]?
