The Propeller – How to Win an Argument with a Toddler – 4-20-2025

Spoiler Alert: You can’t.

Why? Because toddlers don’t grasp the concept of an argument and aren’t interested in having one.

Toddlers (and let’s be honest, this includes defensive bureaucrats, bullies, flat earthers, folks committed to a specific agenda, and radio talk show hosts) might seem like they want to argue, but they’re actually engaging in connection, noise, play-acting, or a chance to earn status. It’s fun to oppose, harangue, or use power to change someone’s position.

But an argument, in its true form, is an exchange of ideas meant to surface insight and lead to a conclusion.

If you’re regularly having arguments with well-informed people of goodwill, you’ll probably ‘lose’ half of them—changing your mind based on what you’ve learned. If you’re not changing your mind, it’s likely you’re not actually having an argument (or you’re hanging out with the wrong people). While it can be fun to change someone else’s position, it’s also a gift to learn enough to change ours.

The toddler puts on a show of having an argument, but they are holding a tantrum in reserve. If they ‘win’ the argument, no tantrum is needed. If they lose, they can tell themselves that they tried but the other person deserved the tantrum because they didn’t listen.

“Tell me about other strongly-held positions you’ve changed as the result of a discussion like this one…” is a direct way to start a conversation about the argument you’re proposing to have. “What sort of information would make it likely you could see this in a different way?”

It probably doesn’t pay to argue over things we have chosen to believe as part of our identity.

The Toddler Argument Playbook

The Showdown: Toddlers will put on a grand performance, complete with dramatic gestures and exaggerated expressions. It’s all part of the act.

The Reserve Tantrum: This is their secret weapon. If they lose, the tantrum is unleashed, justifying their behavior because “you didn’t listen.”

The Status Game: Winning an argument isn’t about the truth; it’s about earning status and feeling powerful.

The Adult Argument Playbook

Exchange of Ideas: True arguments are about sharing insights and reaching conclusions.

Learning and Changing: If you’re not changing your mind sometimes, you’re not really arguing.

Identity Beliefs: Some beliefs are so ingrained in our identity that arguing about them is futile.

Starting the Conversation

Direct Approach: “Tell me about other strongly-held positions you’ve changed as the result of a discussion like this one…”

Information Inquiry: “What sort of information would make it likely you could see this in a different way?”

Arguing with a toddler – or anyone who isn’t truly engaging in an exchange of ideas – is a losing battle. Save your energy for discussions that lead to mutual understanding and growth.

As a tech enthusiast and travel enthusiast, I know the importance of having reliable tools at your disposal, whether you’re navigating a new city or planning a road trip. Google Maps is one such tool that has become indispensable for myself and most fellow travelers. From locating must-see monuments to securing last-minute lunch reservations, Google’s navigation app offers assistance even without an internet connection, no matter where you are in the world.

Google Maps provides a variety of features designed to simplify your travel experience—from guiding you through airport terminals to helping you find dining options along your route. Recent AI-powered updates have introduced itinerary suggestions and immersive views of destinations, making travel planning more personalized and stress-free.

Here are seven of the app’s most useful tools that I use every time I travel, plus a sneak peek at the new AI feature coming to Google Maps.

Effortlessly Navigate Airports and Train Stations

Google Maps features a Directory tab that makes navigating airports and train stations a breeze. When you’re in a large mall or transit hub and need to find a specific store, the Directory tab for airports, malls, and transit stations is especially useful. This feature saved me when I was rushing to find the best food options at the Dallas Airport during a travel delay. Simply search for an airport and tap the Directory tab at the bottom to see business hours, floor locations, and a list of options such as restaurants, stores, lounges, and parking areas.

Check How Busy a Location Is Before You Go

As someone who dislikes crowds, I use Google Maps’ “busyness” tool to avoid busy places. This tool helps me plan my visits to coffee shops, stores, and other locations by showing how popular they are at different times. By tapping the “Busy area” label, I can check how busy larger areas are, such as neighborhoods or districts. This feature is available on both Android and iPhone, and it automatically appears on the map, so you don’t have to search for specific locations to see how crowded they are.

Make a Reservation Without Calling

Balancing scheduled plans with open time is crucial for me when traveling. Google Maps makes it easy to book a reservation without having to call. Open Google Maps, tap the Restaurants button at the top, pick a restaurant, and you’ll have the option to reserve a table or join a waitlist if available. You can also use the Busyness feature to choose a spot that’s less crowded. This feature is perfect for those days when you’re hitting the pavement hard to see every inch of a new city.

Use Google Maps Without Cell Signal

When travelling through mountainous areas, there can sometimes be spotty cellular coverage. It might have stunning views, but being remote means no cellular service. Luckily, thinking ahead and downloaded an offline map can be a headache saver. Before heading to a remote area, search for your destination in Google Maps, open the menu, tap “Download offline map,” and confirm the area you want to download. Once downloaded, you can use Google Maps for directions even without a signal. Keep in mind that real-time traffic updates won’t be available while offline.

Share Your Location with Friends and Family

Travel companions might have different interests when traveling, making touring a new city challenging. To keep the peace, when separated for a while Google Maps’ location-sharing feature helps you reconnect easily. Open Google Maps, tap your profile icon, select Location sharing, choose who you want to share with, and select how long you want to share your location. Tap Share, and your location will be sent to everyone you’ve selected.  This can also be great to allow friends to track you as you travel to see them.  They will know exactly when you will arrive.

Create, Share, and View Curated Lists

I love making lists when planning trips. Google Maps’ lists feature allows me to save places I want to visit during my travels. After booking my flight, I turn to TikTok for travel tips and itinerary recommendations, then create a flexible plan in Microsoft OneNote. Google Maps helps me organize these locations by showing which ones are near each other. To create a list, go to the You tab, tap + New list, give it a name and description, and choose an icon. Save places to your list and share it with travel companions for easy collaboration.

Let AI Take the Reins

Sometimes travel planning can be overwhelming. When this happens, I defer to Microsoft Copilot for many travel ideas and planning, but since Google Maps was updated in fall 2024, Google AI (Gemini) can suggest itinerary inspiration and make recommendations based on Google reviews. Simply ask Gemini to suggest things to do or recommend the best restaurant for a family dinner. This feature helps you discover tailored activities and dining options, enhancing your travel planning experience.

Bonus: Organize Screenshots of Travel Ideas

If you’re like me, you have thousands of photos saved to your Photos app. Google Maps is introducing a new feature that can identify locations in your screenshots and save them to a list. This feature will scan screenshots for text mentioning specific places, display those locations on the map, and give you the option to review, save, or share them in a list. This feature will begin rolling out for iOS users in the US, with Android support expected to follow soon.

Whether you’re a techie, an avid adventurer, or just someone who loves to travel, Google Maps is your ultimate travel companion. Happy travels!

This book has been a #1 bestseller for months now. It’s rumored to be selling over 100,000 copies per WEEK. (Maybe someday I’ll have 100,000 people per week reading The Propeller!)

It shares a simple yet powerful framework for living a life with more peacefulness, happiness, and freedom.

Here are 3 lessons from it:

The LET THEM Theory

The Let Them theory is a simple yet powerful idea: Instead of trying to change, manage, or please other people, just say Let Them.

If your parents are judgmental of your partner, Let Them.

If your friends are skeptical of your business idea, Let Them.

If your date doesn’t want to be in a long-term commitment, Let Them.

Let people be themselves and accept that. Then, you get to decide what you want to do next based on that information.

Robinson writes “No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to control or change another person. The only person you are in control of is you. Your thoughts, your actions, your feelings,”

Robbins gives the example of how she was scrolling social media one day and saw that an old group of her friends had gone on a weekend trip together without her.

She immediately got upset. But after a few minutes, she said Let Them, and cooled off.

Because the truth is that people are allowed to go on trips whenever they want with whoever they want. It wasn’t personal, they were just living their lives.

The friends didn’t do anything to hurt Robbins, it was her own reaction that caused the pain.

“I did this to MYSELF. My friends didn’t do anything TO me. The way I reacted to their trip is what hurt me,” wrote Robbins.

When you say Let Them, you’re freeing yourself from the burden of trying to control the uncontrollable or trying to change the past.

This mindset shift doesn’t mean you become passive or indifferent, but rather, it empowers you to focus your energy where it actually matters.

By accepting others as they are, you create space to make clear-headed decisions about your own boundaries and needs.

The LET ME Theory

The second half of the Let Them theory is Let Me.

When you say Let Me, you take responsibility for what YOU do next.

You get to control your attitude, behavior, and response in every situation.

Going back to the girls’ weekend trip, Robbins realized that she had spent the last few years working so hard that she hadn’t made time to hang out with any of those friends.

She came to the realization that her social life was her responsibility and if she wanted to have more fun with her girlfriends, she needed to take action.

“Let Me stop expecting other people to always include me. Let Me take responsibility for what I want in life. Let Me figure out the deeper issue that I need to look at. Let Me be more proactive about reaching out to people. Let ME invite people to do something this weekend. Let Me throw a party for once,” wrote Robbins.

Because as an adult, your happiness, health, healing, social life, friendships, needs, and success are all your responsibility.

No one is coming to save you or do the work for you. Use the Let Me mindset to take ownership of your life.

The 5 Second Rule

At the age of 41, Mel Robbins was $800,000 in debt, unemployed, and depressed.

But by age 54, she was a bestselling author, had millions of followers, and traveled the globe giving talks at many of the world’s biggest companies.

What changed?

One day she was watching a rocket launch and heard the speaker count down the blast off: 5-4-3-2-1.

She thought to herself, “What if I just counted backward like that and launched myself out of bed?”

It seemed ridiculous, but Robbins was desperate to find any strategy that would help her get out of bed.

The countdown worked–she didn’t stop to think about how tired she was or how much she didn’t want to face her problems; she simply moved before her brain had the chance to talk her out of it.

“It’s like launching a rocket: Once you start the countdown, there’s no turning back.”

Robbins started using this strategy for anything she didn’t feel like doing.

5-4-3-2-1: Get up when the alarm rings.

5-4-3-2-1: Pay the bills that have been piling up.

5-4-3-2-1: Turn on the computer and start applying for jobs.

“The 5 Second Rule taught me that action is the answer. Thinking about your problems will never solve them,” wrote Robbins.

If you wait around until you feel like doing something, you’ll likely never do it. You must save yourself from yourself.

Force yourself to make little moves forward all day, every day, especially when you don’t feel like it.

Use the 5 Second rule to push through excuses, anxiety, and fear.

Following this simple idea helped Robbins turn her life around completely and become one of the biggest authors, speakers, and podcasters in the world in just a few years.

 Actionable Advice

1) Practice the Let Them rule: Instead of trying to control or please others, let people do what they want and accept them as they are. Then decide how you want to respond.

2) Practice the Let Me rule: Take personal ownership by saying “Let me” to step up, make changes to your life, or take the lead when a problem arises.

3) Practice the 5 Second rule: Count down from 5 to 1 and take immediate action before your brain talks you out of it.

Pick up your copy of The Let Them Theory Book here:
https://amzn.to/42M1TGa

It’s easy to start the day stressed. To jump into your phone, your to-do list, your anxiety.

But this quote is a reminder: the very fact that you woke up is a gift. You have time. You have choice. You have today.

That mindset shift—starting your day with gratitude—changes everything. It grounds you. It makes you more present. It reminds you what actually matters.