M&Ms

Yesterday Ainsley asked me if she could have an m&ms and since it was the middle of the afternoon and we don't typically eat m&ms in the middle of the afternoon, I said no.  She wailed and whined and so I offered her two choices:

Me:  Ainsley, you can choose to have one m&m now and zero m&ms after dinner (when she normally gets some sort of sweet something) or you can choose to have zero m&ms now and FIVE m&ms after dinner.

Ainsley: She thinks about it for a minute then responds enthusiastically. I choose zero m&ms now and five m&ms after dinner!!

Me:  Ainsley, that's awesome!  Great choice!  I'm so proud of you!  That is called delayed gratification and that will get you far in life one day!  I'm thinking, wow, I have the smartest three-year old ever!  She is so advanced!

Ainsley:  Yay!  Can I have my zero m&ms now?

Me:  Wait? What?

Ainsley:  Running over to the m&m bowl.  I want my zero m&m.

Then it dawns on me.  She thinks that zero is a number of m&m. 

Me:  No, Ainsley, zero means none.  Zero means you get no m&ms now.  I can tell she's crushed and she starts to whine again.  Ok, I'll give you your choices again.  Do you choose to have one m&m now and no/none/zero m&ms after dinner or do you choose to have no/none/zero m&ms now and FIVE m&ms after dinner?

Ainsley:  Smiling from ear to ear.  I want one m&m now!!!!

Fail.  Hmmm...not as brilliant as I thought.  :)