Week 1, Day 4
Week 1 Theme:
Key Life Lessons
Day 4 Point:
Pass the Salt
A common mistake parents make is when they pass the salt. I often see this scene: A child asks an aunt or uncle to pass the salt, and the parent immediately reminds the child, “How do you ask?!” The child forgot to say “please.” A minute or two later, the child asks the same parent to pass the potatoes and again forgets the “please.” This time, there is no reminder. This laxity is no small thing. It reinforces in the child’s thinking that the parent is here to serve him.
Parents do this because they really want the child to have what she need or likes. Parents love serving their children. The truth is, this sentiment is not misplaced, but it would serve the parents well if they treated their spouses with the same generosity.
Realize:
If you want to get out of the parent trap, or at least start to loosen its grip, you have to gently but relentlessly enforce “please.”
Action Point:
Never let your child get away with asking for anything (no matter how small or how old the child) without using “please” and “thank you”