Gratuitous Domestic Posting (TM) - Failure To Communicate Division

One vocabulary, two languages.

What we say to the four year old: "Llama-ette, you must stop [insert behavioral infraction here]! Only babies act like that and you're a big girl now!"

What she hears: "Yes! We're paying lots of attention to you! Keep it up and we'll pay even more!"

Grrr.

The Missus reminds me that the elder girls went through this phase too, the one throwing temper tantrums and the other whining incessantly. They've both (for the most part) abandoned their ploys, so hopefully this too shall pass.

UPDATE: Yikes! Better get this all resolved quickly before we get a visit from the Parenting Nazis:

For the first time, parenting orders are likely to be directed against parents whose children have committed no criminal offence.

The threat of action against parents who fail to sing nursery rhymes was unveiled by [U.K Children's Minister Beverley] Hughes as she gave the first details of Mr Blair's 'national parenting academy', a body that will train teachers, psychologists and social workers to intervene in the lives of families and become the 'parenting workforce'.

Mrs Hughes said that it was necessary for children to develop 'emotional intelligence and flexibility, and to have good problem-solving and interpersonal skills too.'

She added: 'These attitudes start with good family experiences, in the home, with strong, loving, aspirational parents. So supporting parents and providing good early years education can pay dividends here.'

Mrs Hughes said: 'It is now clear that what parents actually do has a huge impact on children's well-being and capacity to succeed, both at the time and in future.

'Some parents already know that reading and singing nursery rhymes with their young children will get them off to a flying start - often because this is how they themselves were brought up.

'For other parents without this inheritance these simple techniques are a mystery and are likely to remain so - unless we act and draw them to their attention.'

Italics mine. I'm thinking here, "Over the River and Through the Woods to the Re-education Camp We Go!"