Eighteen months after Phoebe's birth, Grace noticed that raising a toddler presented an entirely separate set of problems and benefits than caring for a baby. She was attempting to work from their home office while Elena meticulously pulled every book from their bookcase's bottom shelves, making thorough commentary on each one using her rapidly expanding language.
"Phoebe, those books live on the shelf," Grace replied, getting up from her computer to direct their daughter to the toddler-appropriate toys.
"No shelf," Phoebe declared with the firm tone she had honed over the last few months. "Phoebe books."
"Phoebe books," Grace concurred, realizing that because Phoebe had acquired verbal skills and strong ideas about everything, negotiation had emerged as a more successful parenting tech
