Easy Mark

Tonight, Elaina and I were watching Dora the Explorer—sort of how we like to wind down in the evenings. I was tired, she was tired, and I was lying down on the floor. She flopped down next to me, and I grabbed a quilt and wrapped her up, saying, "Let's just cuddle a bit." Those of you who have met Elaina can guess how long that lasted.

Elaina's not a cuddler. She's not really a person with very many stationary pursuits. (Though she does hang out and sit on my lap in the mornings, because morning tired is different from nighttime tired.) So, after about twenty seconds, she was done cuddling and back on her way.

Later, after Dora was over, I was starting the usual routine of bedtime banter when Elaina walked over to me, saying, "Gukgah".

"What's that, sweetie?"

"Gukgah"

"Hmmm.... I don't know what you're saying...." I said, starting to get up to take her to bed.

"GUK GAAH" she said emphatically, pointing at the quilt beside me.

... "Do you mean 'cuddle'?"

"HMM. HMM. HMMM." (That's Elaina's emphatic "yes".)

Okay, I know. I'm being manipulated. She's not even very subtle. She knows that I can't say "no" to a request to cuddle. However, consider this: I know that she's not really a cuddler. She won't sit still long enough to really take advantage of the situation. So, really, who's playing who?