What if I...

We are in a phase with Oliver where it does not matter what you ask or tell him to do or not to do, he will respond with "what if I don't do X?" or "what if I do X?"  It is not argumentative, it is simply before he decides whether he will or won’t go along with whatever it is, he wants to know the consequences.  So I try to give him my most persuasive, but honest, rationale and/or consequences.  Often, he agrees with our logic, but sometimes despite my best points he is not on board.  Recently asked questions include, "what if we don't go to X?" or "what if I don't stop banging?" or "what if I do hit the kitty?" or "what if I do spray Daddy with the hose?"  By far the MOST common, "what if I don't share X?" 

At breakfast this morning, he announced he did not want to share his toys with the kitties.  So I said that was fine, he did not have to share them right now (the cats were nowhere near him at the time).  He looked at me and said, "well, what if I don't share with the kitty?"  I said, it is fine Oliver you don't need to share with the kitty.  His response, "No, mommy.  If I don't share with the kitty:  one, the kitty will have nothing to play with and might be sad; and two, that is not being a really good friend to the kitty." 

He still did not want to share with the kitty.  But, it appears he has mastered the mommy multi-point argument speech.