Politeness

Kayla learned pretty early on to sign the words "please" and "thank you" and like most toddlers it took a bit of prompting on our part to get her to use those signs routinely, but she did.

She really used "thank you" a lot (and when we were out and about and she signed thank you to someone they usually thought she was blowing them a kiss!) She started saying "que" when she signed it which has evolved to mostly "ank you!" without the sign much anymore.

When she would want something we would ask her "what do you say?" and this has gone from signing please to usually just saying it now.

Sometimes I wonder if we taught her too well though.

She doesn't quite get the concept of saying "you're welcome" (and the sign is pretty much the same as thank you which I think is confusing!) instead she says thank you to almost everything - including when she gives you something. Too polite I tell you!

If I ask her to bring me something she says "thank you" as she's handing it to me. If she hands it to me without saying anything I say "thank you" to her, she says thank you back to me. She loves to help me put the clothes in the washer and then transfer them to the dryer. She stands by the dryer and after each piece of clothing that I hand her she says "thank you" (yeah I know that won't last in a few years!)

And when she says please? It's just the cutest, sweestest sounding please - you almost can't deny her whatever she is asking for/wanting. She says it after almost everything "apple please, juice please, milk please, grapes please, cheese please, ham please, sausage please, pancakes please" you get the picture.

When we were at the Single Airmen's Dinner a couple of weeks ago she made a beeline to the dessert table. "Cookie please?" Ok here you go. A little while later she wanted another one, "cookie please?" She had one more and I told her that was it, only two cookies. Of course she was back at the table asking "cookie please?" when she thought I didn't understand she signed "cookie please?" with this pleading look on her face. It's hard to resist when she's being so patient and polite and looking up at you expectantly like, "I said please, don't I get one?"

But we need to teach her that just because you say "please" doesn't necessarily mean you are going to get it. Or that you're going to get right then and there. She doesn't seem to understand that just because you don't get up right away to get her whatever it is she was asking for doesn't mean you're not going to get it at all...she just keeps asking and saying please until you take action.

"Wawer (water) please?"

"Ok Kayla in a minute."

"Wawer please?"

"I heard you, but you'll have to wait ok?"

"Wawer please?"

"let me finish doing this first."

"Wawer please?"

"I need to wash these dishes"

"Wawer please?"

"As soon as I finish cooking this."

and on and on and on. And it's not a demanding "wawer please" either, just persistent, but always in that sweet, cute, voice.

Sigh...

How am I supposed to teach her patience when (I'll be the first to admit) I'm probably the least patient person myself?

I guess like mother, like daughter fits here!