Context Matters

We've been working hard on teaching Sam to say "excuse me."

"What good parents you are," you might be thinking, "teaching your child such good manners at such a young age."

Uh, yeah. It actually is out of necessity. You see, when Sam decides he needs something, he needs it right now. What if you are using it? Too bad, Sam needs it right now. What if you still want to play with it? Too bad, Sam needs it right now. What if you won't let go of the toy? Too bad, Sam needs it right now. What if you are in Sam's way? Well, you get the picture.

The result of this tenacity (that's the kind word we use), Sam ends up pushing other children; bigger or smaller than he, it doesn't matter. So we're trying to teach him to politely say "excuse me," and to wait turns.

Last night we got proof that some of our teaching is taking. In his bath, Sam decided to scoot around the tub's perimeter on his bottom. He made a few circuits of the tub when he encountered an obstacle. His stacking cups and his drum that he had been playing with were caught in the small whirlpool he was creating and slowly spinning in his wake. When he came up on them he politely said, "excuse me, cups," and maneuvered around them.

Not exactly what we've been trying to teach him, but at least he said the words. I'll let you know if we make any headway in the right context.