drwex | Behold the mind of the nine-year-old

(or, as Pygment said, "If you give a monkey a cookie...")

This morning Thing 2 comes downstairs and discerns that his mother has bought hamentashen (Purim cookies with jelly).

Thing 2: "Can I have a hamentaschen?"
Me: "No. You can't have a cookie first thing in the morning. Have breakfast!"
Thing 2: "I have!"
Me: "No you haven't; you just came downstairs. You haven't eaten anything yet."
Thing 2: "Oh"

And off he goes to the kitchen where he gets a bell pepper, which he eats whole and raw. So very not my child. Anyway, two minutes later:
Thing 2: "Can I have a hamentaschen?"
Me: "No. Have breakfast."
Thing 2: "But I had a pepper! Mommy lets us count that as a vegetable."
Me: "I'm not debating whether it's a vegetable. But you still need to have a real breakfast."
Thing 2: "Fine!"

And off he goes to the kitchen where there is negotiation with his brother about whether he can finish the tortellini left over from the previous night. About five minutes later:
Thing 2: "Can I have a hamentaschen?"
Me: "You just ate an entire big serving of pasta and now you want a cookie?"
Thing 2: "But it had spinach! Lots of spinach!"
Me (laughing): "Alright, you can have a hamentaschen."