Shaking Things Up A Bit

Sometimes, as a parent it seems like you are constantly saying the exact same things to your kids.  Things like reminding the kids to chew with their mouths closed, to say “please” and “thank you,” to not burp at the table, stuff like that…  The kids and the parents get tired of the same reminders.  So one recent meal, I decided to “shake things up a bit” by “turning the tables”.  We allowed the boys to have a “piggy night.”  We defined the boundaries and then told them to have fun, but that they would then have weeks of good manners before they would earn another “piggy night.”  The boys loved it!  They had fun not saying “please” and “thank you” and not asking to be excused.  They loved talking with food hanging from their mouths.  They loved eating with their hands.  They loved burping.  They had a grand old time.  I think my husband had the hardest time with it.  I was happy to hear that another mom did the same thing with her boys when they were little — a mom that has done a great job raising her kids!  Glad I wasn’t the only one who comes up with creative solutions to common problems!  🙂

The result: the boys were much happier to have better manners normally!  Sometimes, we have to be creative, add some humor, and remember that it’s okay to “think outside the box” sometimes!

 

Gram’s Lessons

During supper, I was delighted to hear Drew saying to Will and Luke, “Eat little bites.  Gram tells me to eat little bites, like this.”  He then held up a very small bit.

Quite a Gentleman!

Will is my little gentleman.  He insists on opening my door for me every time we get anywhere.

Our Littlest Son

I already typed this, but there was an error so it never got posted — error on internet connection, not me.  🙂

Here we go again:

Luke has been saying a lot lately:

“Help me, mommy!”

“I don’t think so.”  (in response to a friend asking me a question)

“The end” whenever I finished reading a book to him.

As we were riding down the road, he said, “a truck.”  He would then start to laugh.  He kept pointing to all the trucks and then saying “a truck” and then laughing.

I have been working with Luke on obedience training.  It has been so sweet to see him saying, “Yes, ma’am” and then come running to obey.  His rendition of “ma’am” is very funny to hear.

Luke also has the best manners.  He says “please” and “thank you” without prompting.  He also says “excuse me” whenever someone sneezes.

I have been thoroughly enjoying our little sweetheart as I watch him grow and change from baby to boy.

Manners Matter

We have been trying to teach our boys to be polite to one another.  It is always encouraging when we hear them talking politely.  Today, we overheard this conversation:

Will: “May you come with me, Drew?”

Drew: “Yes, I may!”

Deferential Lads

Last evening, the boys were building a complicated train track arrangement with their daddy.  At one point, Jonathan was blocking Drew’s pathway so Drew said, “Excuse me, daddy!”  Ever so often throughout the boys’ play, you would hear, “Excuse me.”  What deferential lads!  I hope these polite manners will continue…  😉

Good Manners

As I was preparing supper tonight, I overheard the boys exchanging some words that made me very happy.  Will had helped fix Drew’s train track so Drew said (without any prompting), “Thank you!”  Will responded with, “You’re welcome!”  Ah!  Those are the moments when you know that your training is actually “paying off.”  May it “pay off” in the even more important areas.

Mommy Manners: “You Can Dress Her Up, But You Can’t Take Her Out!”

The above saying is so true about me — many times!  I can’t tell you how many times that my skills at eating quickly while trying to nurse my baby or feed the boys or do dishes or cook, etc… has “backfired” on me while I have had to eat in a normal, relaxed environment.  If I am a little sloppy while eating around my kids or running around meeting their needs, no one is around to care (with suppers being the exception since Jonathan is home then).  Ah!  But then come those rare occasions when I need to eat in a mannerly fashion among other adults or eat in a more formal situation with Jonathan.  Suddenly, I am appalled at my eating habits or lack thereof.  I wonder if they offer courses at colleges (for free, of course) on Mommy Eating 101…?  Oh yes, so back to last night…  Well, there we were enjoying our lovely meal, and I was dressed nicely and feeling much more attractive than my normal “around the house” attire.  My feelings of attractiveness were quickly destroyed just as if someone had taken a needle to a balloon.  Yup… those feelings of attractiveness are fleeting, illusive, or rare.  So there I was sitting around enjoying feelings of satisfaction over a full stomach, tasty meal, and the opportunity to chat with Jonathan without interruptions — except for the wait staff — when Jonathan gently commented that I might want to check my shirt.  With trepidation, I glanced down and saw that my blouse and jacket were covered in pizza sauce.  Apparently when I had moved my plate to the back of the table, I had brushed against my front and covered myself in sauce.  So much for looking nice!  I felt like my two-year-old…  (No offense, Drew!)  I did still enjoy my date, and it provided Jonathan and I with lots of laughs.