Don't squeeze the duck (new project)

Yesterday Hailey went to spend the afternoon with a friend who had recently acquired a duckling. They had a grand old time playing with it and making plans. You'd never guess what happened when she got home, would you? She had it all figured out in her head, and pleaded her case from the moment she walked in the door. Now, it just so happens, that God has been convicting me of being a "No" parent. You know the type, "Mom, can I get a puppy?" "No." "Mom, can I live with Grandma?" "No." "Mom, can I ride my bike around the block without supervision?" "No." "Mom, can I have a drink of water?" "No. Oh wait, yes. Yes, you can have a drink of water."
I have gotten to the point that the "No" comes out before I even really hear the request. Saturday night Hailey called to me from her room, wanting to ask me something. This is a regular occurrance, and gets old, night after night. It goes on until I tell them to stop, so I have taken to stopping it before it gets started. So I didn't take the time to hear what she wanted. Consequently, when she wanted me to curl her hair on Sunday, and I didn't have time, she cried because she had been trying to ask me about it the night before when I told her to hush and go to sleep. I had to apologize for not even listening.
Fast forward to Sunday evening when she came home from her friend's house. "Mom, can I have a duck?" Well, I knew the answer was going to be "No," but I let her go on about how she would take care of it, and it would be a great way for her to show responsibility. This coming from the child whose gloves were on the front lawn where she left them the day before. So Shawn came in and when he heard the word "duck" he said, you guessed it, "No."
So this morning, I decided that it would be a good school project to foster a pair to adulthood, and release them at the local lake. I ran it past Shawn, and he said he'd defer to my judgement. Which is code for "I don't like it, but whatever." So off to the feed store we went. Rosebud and Ritz Quackers are on the screen porch checking out their new digs, and the dogs are seeing visions of Peking Duck in their sleep.