Last week Annie went in her cousins’ inflatable kiddie pool, and ever since then she’s been begging us to let her in one again. I tried to play like kiddie pools are magical things that only special people who aren’t us have, but the girl remembered that I bought her a kiddie pool last year. (She forgets nothing, ever.) That pool bit the dust a long time ago, but Annabel kept begging to “play pool in the backyard.” She also kept begging me to buy her a new inflatable pool.

At some point, Annie realized that I wasn’t going to give in. My reasoning for this is that she a) has 8,000 other toys to play with, and b) schlepping both kids to the store for a kiddie pool is on the bottom of my list of things I have the energy for. Annie decided to switch tactics.

“I am going to take my toys and play swimming pool with them in the backyard!” She declared. She marched into the kitchen, grabbed one of my bowls, then marched outside, picking up a few plastic dolls on the way. James and I followed her, intrigued.

She took the hose and filled up the bowl with water, and then had her dolls “jump in.” It was pretty cute, and I hoped that would be enough to satiate her pool needs. But no – I heard her say to her dolls several times, “You will loooove the kiddie pool my mama bought me.” Keep trying Annabel.

Then she said, “Mama, look! I’m pretending this is a pool for me, too!” I looked up from James to find her doing this:

"swimming"

She was cracking up, and said, “Look mama, I’m doing a funny joke!”

"swimming"

It was a bold tactical move on her part, and it got her results…kind of.

I went around the side of the side of the house and grabbed a medium-sized wash bin. I brought it back to where Annie was waiting for me and started to fill it with water.

“For me?! Is this for me, for my pretend pool? Oh I love it Mommy, you are the best mommy in all the word!”

loves it

“Thank you Annabel… Enjoy your new kiddie pool!”