sneaky little devil

there's been a debate ever since children began to exist as to whether boys or girls are easier to raise. of course, there's no true answer to the question; personality assuredly has more to do with it than gender. but i've always had my own theory: boys are more difficult initially (which i think i surmised as i witnessed toddler liam scale a six-foot high dresser to retrieve a toy he had catapulted onto the top shelf), but girls will give their parents a run for their money once they hit the pre-teen years. (i arrived at that conclusion after teaching middle school for almost a decade.) but i underestimated my daughter. at the tender age of two, our susanna has already begun to practice the fine art of manipulation and deceit -- all rolled into a sweet package of blond-haired, blue-eyed, chubby youth and innocence. after she finished her breakfast this morning, she trotted off in search of diversion while i emptied the dishwasher. i heard her playing with marbles on the hardwood floor, but after a minute or so of silence, i went to investigate. turns out that what i thought were marbles were actually peanut M&Ms. and what i thought was the floor was actually the top of the dining room table. a few weeks ago i had filled a glass vase with easter-colored M&Ms, and had trouble deciding on a spot for it that would be distanced from grubby preschool hands. i ultimately decided to put it on the middle of dining room table, which is surrounded by parsons chairs that are fairly hard to maneuver. but they were no match, apparently, for a chocoholic two-year old. there she was, sitting on top of the table, with her hand, literally, in the candy jar. she looked up at me when i entered the room with wide eyes and a full mouth, pausing mid-chew. "what are you eating?" i asked.

"nothing," she replied. (at least, i think that's what she said. it was rather garbled, given that she had a mouth full of chocolate at the time.)

i thought i'd give her another chance to come clean. "are you eating M&Ms?" she swallowed. "no ma'am," she said, emanating a wave of chocolate peanut breath that washed over me. the gall of this little person! "susanna, we do NOT eat food without asking mommy's permission. this is a no-no. please take your hand out of the vase." and then, as any strict disciplinarian mother would do, i grabbed the digital camera to document this event (ahem) before removing her from the table. she looked up at me, with the most innocent face she could muster, and then had the audacity to utter, "but i was just getting a blue one for liam. he likes blue, you know. it's his favorite." there were so many things i wasn't sure about with this scenario. for one, i wasn't sure of my reaction: do i laugh? marvel? cry? i also wasn't sure how her little mind came up with playing the i-love-my-brother card to attempt to get out of trouble. and, obviously, i wan't sure what to do regarding discipline. but at least i got confirmation that my theory is indeed correct: she's definitely going to be giving us a run for our money. that's the one thing i am sure of.