At camp, children are organized into groups by age and gender. The chipmunks are the youngest group at 3.5/4 years old. Today, I encountered a defiant chipmunk.

The little boy refused to go with his group because he was having too much fun on the rocking horse that was on the playground. I tried explaining to him how much fun his friends were having at basketball, but instead he chose to barter.

“4 minutes of horsey then 5 minutes of basketball.”

Clearly, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. After having a great conversation about our favorite colors and animals, he happily held my hand and marched onto the basketball court to join his fellow chipmunks.

Sometimes, a little compromise is all you need to make everyone happy. :)