Rainy day conversations.

Nicholas is a bargainer. He likes to try and bargain his way into things. Or talk his way into things.

So today it is storming in Sacramento. Lots of rain, hail, wind, and freezing temperatures. Needless to say, I think it is a perfect day to stay inside. He thinks it is a perfect day to go outside.

"Mommy, I want to go outside," he says. "No, it is yucky outside," I reply.

He thinks hard and says, "But mommy, the raindrops are lonely. I need to keep them company." I say, "No, they have all the other raindrops and grass and trees and leaves to keep them company."

He doesn't even miss a beat before he says, "I need to blow bubbles outside so they can fly with the wind." I repeat an earlier reply, "No, it is a yucky day outside."

Needless to say, this whole conversation was while he's wearing shorts and a t-shirt because he didn't want to wear any of his clean pants this morning. He wanted his dirty jeans, which were in the washer.

Still not one to quit he says, "But it is not yucky outside. It is only raining a little bit." He says this as the rain is puddling and pooling in our yard and is being blown sideways because of the wind.

A little while later he says, "But mommy, I have to go outside." So I finally give him a choice (see the Love and Logic philosophy working here), "You can go outside in your rain jackets and rain boots or stay inside and do puzzles with mommy." I thought the puzzles would be a big hit - normally I cannot get him to stop playing puzzles with me. But quick as can be he gets his rain jacket and boots on - I have never seen him get dressed so fast - and runs outside. It takes all of a minute before it starts hailing again and he comes running inside saying "I'm all done. The ice cubes falling on my head were cold."

I should've just let him out earlier and he would've been done.