Sonny Ma-Jiminy has been taught to use his manners from a young age. He just thinks that he's above using them.
Yesterday I heard him straining and reaching for something in the loungeroom. When I went in, I saw it was his special sheet. He couldn't quite reach it from his throne in the beanbag.
I wasn't going to stand for the grunting and groaning. He needed to use words, he needed to use an appropriate question, and he needed to use his manners. And my goodness, I was going to make it happen.
"Is there something you need?" I asked.
"Yes," Sonny replied.
"And what would that be?" I persisted.
"My sheet," he said hopefully.
"Is there something you'd like to ask me about your sheet?" I prompted.
"Give it to me?" Humph. Not good enough.
"Is there a magic word you'd like to use there?" I asked him.
"Abracadabra!" he shouted gleefully.
27 September 2008
Manners disappeared in a puff of *Magic*
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PS: My silly fault really, because he's never heard them referred to as "magic words" before - the term "manners" would have made more sense to him in that situation.
He he he. There's no denying he's a very bright little boy. When my daughter was smaller, I had this crazy idea, wait for it, that if I treated her respectfully and with manners that she would learn by osmosis to reciprocate. Ha! New parents are so entertaining, even when they're us.
I also actually taught her by rote to give that answer to that question, because we have a lot of passive-aggressive types in the extended family and they annoyed me, which I think, technically, makes me a bad, bad parent.
I should have swallowed my tea before reading this. Priceless.
I love it. he was just doing what you said.
I love laughing at your expense. Kids are so literal. Beautiful.
Once I reminded a hysterically excited Harpo about his manners, and he shrieked, "Please! Thankyou! Sorry! Excuse me!"
I fell about laughing and let him go, figuring he'd covered all his bases!
Sonny Ma-Jiminy, for no particular reason, sometimes uses the "singular" of manners words: "Plea" and "Thank."
No idea why.
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