"Say, 'Please.'""No."
I've had this "conversation" too many times in the past month, and it's left me frustrated and confused. Was it out of my 19 -month -old's stubbornness that she kept refusing to say please or was it just a lack of understanding and immaturity? I just didn't want her to grow up and be "that kid" who was ill-mannered and rude.
In this country, we really are privileged. For our family, we are above the poverty line, yet my husband does not bring in the "big bucks" that we think he deserves. We are forced to make choices about how to spend our money -- what can we actually afford without going into debt and what can we splurge on. And I want my children to realize the gifts and opportunities they have, some as simple as the freedoms all Americans share. I've interacted with enough children and adults who come from an arrogant perspective that they deserve or are entitled to certain things that I want to help my children truly appreciate all they have.
This was part of the Blog Dare Prompt What I Fear Most For My Children.
