Pudding stands up from where she has been lying on some cushions ‘reading’ and states “I ungwy” (hungry) and heads for the kitchen. I respond quickly because she has been known to help herself to dry cereal if not fed fast enough. Like her mother patience is not her strong suite. Sausage follows us. To distract Pudding I suggest she get the bowls out the cupboard, which of course sends Sausage racing for the cupboard. I ask for two bowls, but get them all! We set the table, putting out their place mats (Sausage’s is Cars and Pudding’s is Minnie Mouse) and putting out spoons. Then pull up their high chairs taking off the trays and lifting the arms so they can eat at the actual table.
As I go to lift Sausage into his chair, Pudding says “mind (my) chair” and tries to push him out the way. I strap him in and put Pudding in her chair with her shouting all the way about how she “don’t want it”. This turns into a full on melt down while I dish up the dinner and put it in front of them. It is one of the favourites, bolognaise with veggies in it. Sausage takes one look, pushes the bowl away and says “don’t want it”.
I say, “Don’t want what”
Sausage: “This”
Mom: “What the bolognaise?”
Sausage: “Yes don’t want boyognaise”, little mimic
Mom: “So what do you want?”
Sausage: “Food”
Mom: “Bolognaise is food”
Sausage “Don’t want boyognaise”
All this time Pudding is screaming over Sausage’s protests and I have eventually just taken her out her chair in the hopes that she will eat out my bowl. She calms down and says “Don’t want it”
Mom: “What do you want?”
Pudding: “Want samwich (sandwich)” nodding that cute little head very seriously.
Mom: “Would you like peanut butter or cheese” (before you shoot me they eat their main meal at lunchtime so I am fairly relaxed about whether or not they eat ‘proper’ food at dinner time and it is whole wheat bread)
Sausage pipes up: “Don’t want it”
Mom: “Don’t want what?” At this point the bolognaise has been pushed far away so I am fairly sure he is no longer talking about this.
Sausage: “Don’t want samwich”
Pudding, crying, “Samwich, samwich”
Mom: “okay Pudding you can have a sandwich, cheese or peanut butter? And Sausage would you like some yogurt”
In unison: “Don’t want it”
Mom: “Pudding you don’t have to have yogurt, Sausage you don’t have to have a sandwich”
So I make a sandwich, I decide on peanut butter, give them each half.
In unison: “hmm mmm” and they both devour it? I make a second sandwich and they eat that too? Then Daddy comes home and Sausage climbs on Daddy’s lap and eats Daddy’s bolognaise with Daddy’s spoon, feeding Daddy with Sausage’s spoon. Pudding climbs on my lap and east my bolognaise?
Toddlers are very opinionated little beings, but it seems to me they actually don’t really know what they want.
Mommy-at-Last 
Oh yes, and the older they get, the more they voice it. Then they start to develop reasoning and logic, and then you really have to stay on your toes and one step ahead. It is so much fun though.
As a nanny to a toddler, I can definitely agree on that last point. Adorable, independent, opinionated… But not generally reliable testimony!
oh yes, that is so true ! sometime they want something and the opposite of that thing …. e.g. crying because she wants to put shoes on, then crying because she does not want to put shoes on …. go figure !! sometimes one needs a very good and healthy nervous system !!