A fine line between compromise and bribery

Colin and have a difficult time agreeing on music. He likes the heavy music that reminds me of what I used to enjoy in my teenage years. It isn't that I don't like NIN or STP or Pearl Jam anymore, I do, but not for dinner music..........or on anything resembling a regular basis.

I am at a stage where I like to have my ears peeled for something new. Not new new, but new to me new. Because I find this hard to discover on the radio, I generally listen to CBC in the car. Colin listens to............whatever stations play the above bands. We battle. So to keep the peace at home, we just listen to the TV music stations, me on alternative, folk, blues, jazz , remembering the '70's, '80's and sometimes '90's and the Jukebox oldies. Colin on Rock and when he is feeling super generous, the Jukebox oldies.

So there we are enjoying (ish) our selected TV radio tunes, dancing around the room singing at the top of our lungs and having an absolute blast (yup, that would be just me, by myself, while Colin gives me the 'are you losing your mind' look). But Rohan dislikes the music being on the TV. Anytime he realizes it is on (on a good day we can distract him for a half hour or so before he catches on) he runs up to the TV and turns it off exclaiming 'No want MUSIC'. Can be frustrating when we just love the tunes that are rocking out!

Rohan has, however, recently made a discovery of the earphones. You stick one end in your ears and the other in the computer (preferably the correct way) and voila, you can listen to computer stuff. Rohan prefers what he calls 'his music'. I usually put some alphabet or number songs on, might as well make it educational while he is zoning out on the computer. He is so very careful of the way he sits with said earphones too, it's great, not moving a muscle, careful to not move his head and disturb the earphones in his ears!

Well yesterday, Rohan was pretty anxious to listen to 'his music' on the computer with earphones. I was humming and hawing (secretly all for the idea so I could get dinner made) and he made a musical compromise with me. 'Me listen me's music, then you listen youse music' he states with pure glee in his eyes. If I let him listen to his music then he will let us listen to our music without turning off the TV. Hilarious!

I did not realize that he was old enough to recognize the concept of compromise, though we do it to him all the time...............usually with the potty, 'you go pee pee on the potty and THEN you can do such and such'.

Now, is he learning the art of compromise, or is it bribery that he has now discovered? Oh lord it is a fine line between compromise and bribery, a fine line indeed!