Samantha Landau: Master Negotiator

Samantha's kindergarten tries to teach kids the art of compromise and negotiation, something Amy has also been working on with her. Tonight we saw the results of that in spades.

On Tuesday nights Marie, who helps out with the kids sometimes, comes over so that Amy and I can go out and have an occasional evening as grownups. Tonight Amy called me while I was driving home; she and Marie and the kids were at the local burger joint in Arlington Center having an early dinner for the kids. Amy suggested that she and I have dinner at a very nice Asian restaurant three doors down from there while Marie take the kids home.

Samantha, you must understand, isn't thrilled about this whole Tuesday evening arrangement. She really wants to either come out with me and Amy, or have us stay home and put her to bed. Today she came up with a new option. She asked to talk to me on the cell phone and said something like this:

I have a suggestion, dad. Why don't you come home and put me to bed and mom gets food that you want from Mifune for take out and brings it home and you eat it there. That way you get what you want and I get what I want. What do you think, dad?

We didn't end up going with this plan, but I thought it was awfully clever of Samamtha to suggest it!