Well, our boy is in the negotiation phase. I'm actually fine with it, because he's actually pretty logical and responds well to reason. Often before bed, he'll tell us that he's not done with his cup (usually lemonade) and can't go to bed just yet. My usual response is "OK, take two more drinks and then hand it over." Generally, he'll counter with, "I'll take three drinks." I usually agree.
One of our favorite games is blowing raspberries (on the stomach). It's one of those "no means yes" situations. "Don't do it, Papa; I'm not a respberry." Of course, he likes giving them as much as getting them. The other day, I told him I was going to blow raspberries on him. His response was, "You can blow two raspberries!" He then lifted his own shirt and waited for his raspberries. After two, he lowered his shirt and said, "OK, that's it."
I like how kids negotiate but you have to be cautious that they don't take it too far. Allowing them to choose and dictate what goes on around is very empowering but as most parents would agree to, don't give em so much rope that they hang themselves with it!
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