Can This Come Home With Us?

Another recent trend in A-chan's thought patterns: ask and ye shall receive. I'm not altogether certain that this trend began with my mother, but we believe that perhaps it did. Any time A-chan really likes something, a toy or book or decoration, at her amma's house, Amma immediately offers it to her as a gift. So when A-chan started going around her house, picking up items and asking if we could take them home it seemed a bit suspicious. But this has spread to other people's houses as well and that is where we have to start making a stand.

We understand that a grandmother's first automatic instinct is to fulfill whatever wish a grandchild might have, including giving her items from their own home. But it gets really embarrassing and problematic when we visit another child's home and A-chan goes around constantly asking, "Can this come home with us?"

Recently this trend happened at a little girl's house where we were visiting to play and the other little girl thought it a fine idea, in fact starting to offer items for A-chan to take home. At the last minute before we went through the door a tiny toy teapot was offered and the little girl asked me if A-chan could take it with her. This time I was weak and said yes, but that we would bring it back next week. While not the best solution, it was the only thing I could come up with at the time. During the days following, however, A-chan has consistently insisted that we take the toy back to her friend's house! I just hope that she isn't going to try and make it into a swap-meet or something.