No crayon for you!
Way back when Madelyn was just a tee tiney little ankle licker we started teaching her to sign in order to communicate. I didn't want her to rely soley on a series of grunts to communicate that she wanted more of something and I wanted to instill in her some manners. So we only taught a few basics including "more", "please", and "thank you". Well, she still isn't much on the talking but she definitely knows her signs and uses them appropriately without prompting 95% of the time. It makes me so happy when she thanks a server for her drink in a restaurant. Sometimes she signs "thank you" and sometimes she says a sweet little "Thay!".
When I was about 4 or 5 we took a trip down Florida to visit my mom's dad. This was going to be the first time I met him and she told me for days, weeks, and every minute of the 50 bazillion hour trip that I had to mind my manners and not talk with my mouth full (I was a talker back then, good thing I grew out of that right?), to say please and thank you and some other long list of polite things to do . When we arrived it was dinner time so we sat down to eat and I was sitting next to Grandaddy Lewis who was talking excitedly to Mom and he started to talk with his mouth full. So I politely interrupted and told him that "It wasn't polite to talk with your mouth full."
During our trip to Asheville Madelyn was coloring with Chris' dad, her Papaw and he asked for a green crayon. She took away the crayon he had and looked at him and signed "please" and said "peas" and waited for him to do the same. She was making him say please for the crayon! The rest of their time coloring she would dictate what color he could have and if he wanted another he had to say "May I have another crayon please" and she would oblige while waiting patiently for him to say "Thank you". She's the crayon nazi! She played out this same scene with my mom and if mom didn't ask for the crayon in just the right way Madelyn would just continue to color with her own crayon until mom used her manners.
Nope, I'm not at all afraid of my paybacks. I'm not at all afraid of teenage Madelyn. I'm terrified!
When I was about 4 or 5 we took a trip down Florida to visit my mom's dad. This was going to be the first time I met him and she told me for days, weeks, and every minute of the 50 bazillion hour trip that I had to mind my manners and not talk with my mouth full (I was a talker back then, good thing I grew out of that right?), to say please and thank you and some other long list of polite things to do . When we arrived it was dinner time so we sat down to eat and I was sitting next to Grandaddy Lewis who was talking excitedly to Mom and he started to talk with his mouth full. So I politely interrupted and told him that "It wasn't polite to talk with your mouth full."
During our trip to Asheville Madelyn was coloring with Chris' dad, her Papaw and he asked for a green crayon. She took away the crayon he had and looked at him and signed "please" and said "peas" and waited for him to do the same. She was making him say please for the crayon! The rest of their time coloring she would dictate what color he could have and if he wanted another he had to say "May I have another crayon please" and she would oblige while waiting patiently for him to say "Thank you". She's the crayon nazi! She played out this same scene with my mom and if mom didn't ask for the crayon in just the right way Madelyn would just continue to color with her own crayon until mom used her manners.
Nope, I'm not at all afraid of my paybacks. I'm not at all afraid of teenage Madelyn. I'm terrified!
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