Robbie needs control over his environment (not necessarily over other people) like the rest of us need air. I've given examples many times before, so won't bore you all again. Suffice to say he started the day he came home from the hospital and screamed bloody murder about his diaper being changed. As a 4 week old infant, he would give his father the cold shoulder to show how he felt about him having gone away for a few days. This kid knows for a fact the world should revolve around him.
He doesn't seem particularly good at manipulating others, but I'm very proud of his new negotiating and logic skills. For example, he found my little storehouse of Pokemon movies (at $7 they seem like good birthday presents, and we are awash in birthday parties these days), and set out to get me to let him watch more than the one I had bought for him. So he came up with the idea of switching the ones he had watched for the ones he hadn't, and within 3 weeks he ended up with the lot. OK maybe this is manipulation, but too cute.
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