Mr. Manners
My kids are works in progress. Some days I get "pleases" and "thank-yous" and possibly even an elusive "yes ma'am!"
Other days it's like I've got Gordon Ramsey living with me and he is just barking orders at me. And I am too frightened to do anything but obey.
THIS MAC-N-CHEESE IS BURNT!
This week, we've been visited twice by a little boy who rides the bus with the Yoys. He is a year or two older than Big E, but they play well together.
And this kid brings the manners.
He uses please without being prompted. He makes eye contact when he speaks to me. He took his snack bowl and walked it to the sink AND rinsed it out.
I about fainted.
He even chimes in when Big E is not behaving.
BIG E, YOU BETTER LISTEN TO YOUR MOM!
He is such a pleasure to have over.
And it gets my mind cranking.
1) Is this how Big E behaves when I'm not around and he is at a friend's house? Or is he a total terror? Just ripping open the fridge and guzzling apple juice right from the bottle? Wiping his Cheetos fingers on the velvet curtains? Peeing with the door open? This is the kind of thing I fear.
2) Whatever his folks are doing, they are doing it right. Maybe I need to score an invite to their place to watch and learn.
Am I the only mother out there with this fear? Or is this normal? We work on manners all the time, I just don't think it always makes it through to the final behavior product.
Other days it's like I've got Gordon Ramsey living with me and he is just barking orders at me. And I am too frightened to do anything but obey.
THIS MAC-N-CHEESE IS BURNT!
This week, we've been visited twice by a little boy who rides the bus with the Yoys. He is a year or two older than Big E, but they play well together.
And this kid brings the manners.
He uses please without being prompted. He makes eye contact when he speaks to me. He took his snack bowl and walked it to the sink AND rinsed it out.
I about fainted.
He even chimes in when Big E is not behaving.
BIG E, YOU BETTER LISTEN TO YOUR MOM!
He is such a pleasure to have over.
And it gets my mind cranking.
1) Is this how Big E behaves when I'm not around and he is at a friend's house? Or is he a total terror? Just ripping open the fridge and guzzling apple juice right from the bottle? Wiping his Cheetos fingers on the velvet curtains? Peeing with the door open? This is the kind of thing I fear.
2) Whatever his folks are doing, they are doing it right. Maybe I need to score an invite to their place to watch and learn.
Am I the only mother out there with this fear? Or is this normal? We work on manners all the time, I just don't think it always makes it through to the final behavior product.
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