Bartering and Green Toenails

As your children get older, they develop many “life” skills. Effective bartering is one such skill. For example, math major daughter has upcoming math exam. No one in their right mind will volunteer to help said daughter study for her exam, especially since the class is “proofs.”
But female child has learned bartering. And she is a good student—she has learned well. Girl approaches mother.

Girl: How about I give you a pedicure tonight?

Mom (heart melts)

Girl: And you can quiz me on my math proofs while I do it.

Mom (heart slightly less melted, but a pedi that I don’t have to do myself!?!: Okay

Daughter applies base coat.

Mom: Uh, give me the definition for backwards E, exclamation point, X, times the quantity P of X. (Seriously, that is what the flashcard said.)

Daughter gives answer, which involves more backwards E, exclamation points, Xs, and snake-like lines and well as tildes and carrots. (No exaggeration.)

Over the next hour I say things like the conjunction or intersection of upside down A to the R1 and other fake letter stuff—during which time I get two coats of polish and a top coat.

Interesting thing happened though. At the end, she was studied, and I had green toenails. Hmmm.