OK, we've been doing this for two years now...when will he learn?

You can not announce to a infant/toddler what you are doing all the time.  Yes, it's nice to talk aloud to the baby and tell them about what's happening around and too them, but announcing some things do lead to little fits and out bursts.  And you certainly do NOT want to pose your next step in life to a toddler in the way of a question...are you nuts?!

My daughter HATES to brush her teeth.  I negotiate and con her into doing it twice a day...usually without too much of a fight.  But my husband...her father, insists on asking or telling her what's coming every single time. 

"So you wanna go brush your teeth?" 

ah...no. 

Why would a perfectly happy little two year old that sitting on your lap quietly watching Tom & Jerry...that hates brushing her teeth every single time you try suddenly answer this question with elated joy?  She's not going to.  All you've done now is start a fight.  From there the screaming begins (from them both) and I have to intervene.

"Hey do you wanna get dressed?"

ah...no.

My daughter will be the founder of her own nudist colony for God sakes, so asking her if she wants to get dressed....well that's just code for, Run Ellie!

This has been happening since she was an infant and they have been arguing about her dislikes just as long.

There's an episode of Step by Step where the nerdy sister straps electrodes to the dorky cousin's nipples and zaps him every time he says his stupid catch phrase.  I'm thinking about installing those to Brett!