Playing Politics, February 1, 2009

7 year olds can be pretty smart about finding their way through the maze of parental and family roadblocks and permissions to issues that may be important to them.

So is the case with Khyati, who considers her mother (sometimes grandparents) to be the more formidable person to reason with, than me. So, her strategy at times is to extract a yes from me before moving onto a public debate.

She knows that parents are consistent people and when I say yes to her privately, I will have to defend her position in front of others as well.

One latest instance concerns an overnight school trip that me and my wife are not in favor of, as we feel that she needs to grow up a bit before such excursions.

Khyati, of course wants to go.

In the car (after school), where most of our one-to-one conversations happen, she told me that she wants to go for the trip and that I should say yes.

My antennas were instantly up as I knew that this was building up for stage-2 with her mother: ``Papa has said it is okay to go, ’’ she would begin.

So I replied: ``we go for so many trips together, so we can go for another one and have some fun.’’

``I have fun with you and mama,’’ she reasoned, ``but with friends it is different.’’

``How?’’

``Well, me and my friends, we can get up at night, switch on the lights of the room when the teacher is asleep and play games --- also eat chips,’’ she explained.

``Ok,’’ I said.

``So, is it a yes then,’’ she asked very innocently.

This was the crunch question, so I had to tread very carefully.

``I am not saying yes or no,’’ I said, ``Let us debate the issue with everybody and then decide.’’

``You mean you are saying yes, but others have to also say yes,’’ she asked.

``No,’’ I said, ``I am undecided and want to hear what others have to say.’’

``So, you are not saying yes or no,’’ she said.

``True,’’

She knew I had guessed her game and would not give in.

But, it was well tried, Khyati.