Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Are you asking or telling?

This is for the Gebhards fans out there! Another gold nugget of parenting wisdom.

We were so excited when our first daughter Kalena could finally say "Please" and even more excited when she began stringing her words together so she could say "More please!" However, as she got older, something about the phrase "More apple juice please." didn't sit right with me and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She is saying please, right?  Then we heard an interaction between Kurt and one of his munchies. He asked the simple question "Are you asking or telling?" It clicked right away to me that when kids say "More please" they are actually commanding the adult to get them more, even though politely asking please.  So when we hear a "More please" we re-direct the command to a question of "May I have more please?" Our kids picked up on this quickly and we can quiz them on what they have just said by asking "Are you asking mommy, or telling mommy?"  Even Katie at 2 years old can tell when she is asking or telling.  When they are older and forget, even just a pause or a "Try that again please." can remind them to ask instead of tell. 

Praise God for giving us the Bible as a guide to raise our kids, and for all the wise parents I have and continue to learn from!! 

1 comment:

  1. good stuff!! i need to remember that too....i do that ALOT :(

    ReplyDelete