“Are you still hungry?” I asked Ari after lunch.
He nodded. Naturally, I began suggesting other options for things he could eat: cheese, raspberries, blueberries, peaches… you get the idea. But he just kept saying “pnt-zins.” I had no idea what kind of fruit would be called “pnt-zins.”
Thankfully, Ari stayed patient. He didn’t cry; he kept repeating “pnt-zins.”
“Do you want pretzels?” I asked. (That couldn’t be what he wanted.)
“Yes!” he said, his face lighting up.
“But you’ve never had pretzels. Or have you?” I looked at Ari. Ari grinned back at me.
I walked across the kitchen and grabbed a bag of pretzels from the pantry.
“Pnt-zins!” Ari yelped.
“Who let you try pretzels?” I asked him.
“Ih-ba-belle! Daddy!” He implicated his sister and father.
“Oh really? Isabelle and Daddy let you have pretzels?” I said. Must’ve been when I was out of town…
“Yes!” Ari declared.
“Oh boy,” I said, making a mental note to have a conversation with my husband and daughter tonight.
Ari took a bite. “Good!” He smiled. “Yummy!”
“Of course they’re yummy, they’re salty,” I replied.
Ari kept biting and chewing. “Yummy!” he declared again and again, until he finally said, “Muh pnt-zins puh-lease.”
How do you deny a polite (and somewhat-reasonable) request?
You don’t. At least, I didn’t. So I handed over two more pretzels.
I’m still planning to talk to Marc and Isabelle tonight. Because I kinda want to know what else Ari has tried that I don’t know about.
Raising Literate Humans 
Of course you couldn’t deny such a politely worded request! I’m a huge fan of pretzels myself, so I’m on Ari’s side–if there are sides to be taken!
That is so cute! And now Marc and Isabelle know they can’t count on him to keep secrets. So cute!
I chuckled my way through this. He sure knows how to get what he wants. As for you, I’m not sure if I’m more impressed that you figured out what pnt-zins meant or that you figured out how to write it!
What a great story, Stacey. Your little Ari certainly knows what he wants. I just love the way your tell your stories.
My little grandbaby has a new way to communicate with me (pre-talk) => pointing. When we were at the shore last weekend, I certainly knew what she wanted. I can’t wait to hear her use words beyond DaDa, MaMa, and wa-wa.
Haha! “Pnt-zins” are a small example of why it’s great when little people have lots of others to love them.
Love and laughter. Precious days with Ari.