Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Problem with Please

So it's another picture free post. Sorry. My laptop doesn't want to play nicely with my memory card. I'm working on it... LOTS of pictures and picture-related posts eager to show themselves on this here blog.

And now, on to the topic at hand: The Problem with Please

What's that you say?

How can something as polite as please cause a problem?

I know. It seems ridiculous. If anything, our society needs to be more polite and less demanding. More please, less gimmee.

Unless you have a cute little toddler under the age of two in your house. Then please can be a problem.

And it is all my fault.

I taught her that please is the "magic word."

When she wants something, I prompt, "What do you say?"

Which is all well and good until there is something she wants that I don't want her to have or do and I say "No."

Then she looks up at me with those big blue eyes, the faint traces of her dimples showing as she lisps out, "Peeeeeeaaaaaasssseeee."

"No," I say.

"Pease. Pease. Pease."

"No, Pooh Bear"

"pease?"

*sigh* What's a mommy to do?

1 comment:

Jessica said...

At two it's pretty tough since there's no reasoning at that age. As my guys have gotten older I simply tell them that I've answered the question and it's not up for discussion any longer. Then I walk away. If you give in to begging you just teach them that begging works. For a two year old you might want to say, "Thank you for asking so nicely but (why it isn't going to happen)." Then distract her into something else.