All is Well

I was telling Cole and Annie about life as a pioneer yesterday. One aspect of pioneer life really worried little Annie. No swimsuits.

"Did their daddies take their swimsuits away?" she asked in a worried voice.*

"No, they just didn't have any swimsuits, honey," I replied."

"Oh," and then silence as she sat pondering with a sober expression.

Of all the many hardships they endured - heat, frozen limbs, walking across the prairie, teensy houses, no indoor plumbing, etc - that was the one that struck her as sad.

*Annie may have experienced Daddy taking away a swimsuit as a consequence for misbehavior, thus prompting the question, "Did their daddies take their swimsuits away?"

Works like a charm for her.

How do we get her to stay in bed? Tell her she loses a swimsuit if she gets out.
How do we get her to eat her dinner? Tell her she loses a swimsuit if she doesn't.
You get the picture.

While this particular scenario was not described in any of my child development classes, it seems to be working quite well with her.