L. rarely says “No.”

I am almost always guaranteed to get a very loud and emphatic “NO” whenever I suggest that it might be time for bed or a nap. That “No” is often accompanied by tears and a toddler running in the opposite direction. Suggesting that it’s time to come in from the great outdoors also results in a “no.”

But other than that, he’s usually very agreeable. I suppose I should be thankful for that. After all, the “terrible twos” are frequently dominated by the word “No.”

However, constant “Yes”es can cause problems, too. For example, here’s the conversation L. and I had after church today.

“Did you have a good time in the nursery?”
“Yeah!”
“Did you play with all the toys?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you play nicely with the other kids?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you steal toys from them?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you have some Cheerios?”
“Yeah!”
“Or did you dump them all out on the floor?” [His usual MO.]
“Yeah!”
“Did you do any puzzles?”
“No…yeah!”
“Did you get in trouble?”
“Yeah!”
“Were you a good boy?”
“Yeah.”
“Did Ryan bite you?” [Note: Ryan* is a known former biter, and the nursery staff would have informed me if there had been an incident.]
“Um…yeah!”
“Are you ready to go home?”
“Yeah. Um…no?” This “no” was followed by a dash for the elevator. His morning at church is not complete without a ride on the elevator.

Those little 2-year-old “yeah”s are very adorable, and I love hearing them. But I’m also looking forward to the day when I get a straight story out of this kid.

*Names have been changed to protect the sometimes-innocent.