No Thank You

We've tried very hard to teach Caleb manners - especially to say "Please" and "Thank You." We teach him to say it at home to us - whenever we do something for him or he wants something. This may seem excessive, but if he's in the habit of doing it at home, it is more likely that he will remember to say it when he leaves our house and goes to school, church, a friends house, etc...

He does pretty well with it most of the time, but now I'm afraid he thinks it holds too much power.

We have conversations like this a lot:

Me: Caleb, can I have a hug?
Caleb: No thank you.

Seriously... like 3 or 4 times a day. Sometimes, it's not even a question. Like this:

Me: Come over here and pick up all these Lincoln Logs.
Caleb: Umm... No thank you.

Polite disobedience. I guess it's a little better than rude disobedience.

On a somewhat related note, last night we were sitting on the front porch eating ice cream and someone 3 or 4 houses down sneezed (we couldn't even see the person - just heard them), and Caleb yelled as loud as he could "BLESS YOUUUUUU!" :)

Lastly, my Patty (yes - that's part of her official title - "MY Patty"), shared this with me recently in a very sweet email and I thought it was just lovely. Being a parent is really about being a teacher - and more often than not, teaching by example.

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
Dorothy Law Nolte

If a child lives with criticism,
he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,
he learns to fight.

If a child lives with fear,
he learns to be apprehensive.

If a child lives with pity,
he learns to feel sorry for himself.

If a child lives with ridicule,
he learns to be shy.

If a child lives with jealousy,
he learns what envy is.

If a child lives with shame,
he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with encouragement,
he learns to be confident.

If a child lives with tolerance,
he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with praise,
he learns to be appreciative.

If a child lives with acceptance,
he learns to love.

If a child lives with approval,
he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with recognition,
he learns that it is good to have a goal.

If a child lives with sharing,
he learns about generosity.

If a child lives with honesty and fairness,
he learns what truth and justice are.

If a child lives with security,
he learns to have faith in himself and in those about him.

If a child lives with friendliness,
he learns that the world is a nice place in which to live.

If you live with serenity,
your child will live with peace of mind.

With what is your child living?