Want it. Say, "I don't want it!"

Joshua got the idea in his head that when he doesn't want something, whether it be a half-eaten plum or Skarloey the train, he should hand it to someone else and say, "Want it!" He would become very frustrated when we didn't understand why he would claim to want something he clearly did not seem to want. We eventually figured out that he probably got this idea because I would often offer him a piece of fruit or whatever and say, "Want it?" Maybe he thought that every time I offered him something, it was because I didn't want it? Who knows.

We naturally corrected him each time he professed to want something he didn't want. "Want it!" Joshua would whine. "Say, 'I don't want it'" would be our rejoinder. This went on for several weeks. Now, whenever Joshua gives us something that he doesn't want, he will rehash this oft-spoken conversation, even mimicking our tone of voice when we correct him, saying, "Want it. Say, I don't want it!" And as you might imagine, we are reluctant to correct him yet again for fear that he might start saying, "No, don't say want it say I don't want it, just say I don't want it" every time he doesn't want something!