One well-known method of psychological torture is to slowly build a captive’s expectations of a particular outcome through repeated, similar actions, then to subvert those expections suddenly and without notice. When coupled with the stress of physical abuse, this process causes a deep mental destabilization that tends to make the subject more reliant on his captor and therefore pliable.
The parallels between the process described above and our relationship with Ava are striking, albeit subtle. Fortunately, her methods result mostly in new levels of cuteness instead of pain or confusion. The latest weapon in her arsenal was given to her by her mother, who cajoled Ava one morning into trying to wake me up by saying, “wake up, papa snuggles!” OK, so it’s moderately cute to hear Leah say this, but when it’s run through Ava’s special cuteness magnifier, its effects are increased tenfold. I tried to keep my back to Ava and not move when she crawled across the bed to me, patted my shoulder, and said in her tiny morning voice, “way up, papa nug-gles,” but I broke immediately. I have to figure out a way to get a sound recording of this.