Nicely

Earlier today I had the opportunity to talk on the phone with a good friend. Apparently, she was looking for me on Facebook and when she couldn't find me, she decided to drop by my blog; once she was here, of course she stumbled upon my recent post about canceling (or deactivating) my account. She said that it totally made sense to her that I would - that my reasons were "So Mandi." I thought that was pretty funny.

She also saw the recent pictures of my two cuties. She made the comment that Audrey is getting so big... like she's not even a baby anymore, but an actual little person.

Which is totally true. The kid is so aware and smart, I sometimes forget she's not even 3 yet.


Almost, but not yet.

A few weeks ago I posted about Audrey always knowing what she wants and what she doesn't. And that hasn't changed. But sometimes she is so emphatic about what she would like that she demands it without remembering to ask or to say please. Adam and I have been trying to teach her to be polite, to be nice about how she asks for things. Her first inclination is to just demand, which is quickly followed with demanding in a louder and more insistent tone of voice. And she will just repeat the thing she wants until it's actually in her hands.

So we redirect her by telling her that she needs to ask nicely. This is how the interactions typically go:


Audrey: Juice. Mom, Juice! Audrey want Juice! Juice! JUICE!

Me: Audrey, you want some juice?

Audrey: Yes. Juice!

Me: You need to ask nicely.

Audrey: Nicie. Juice, pease!

Me: Good job. Ok, I'll get you some juice.


And then I get the juice, and peace is once again restored. (Until she thinks of something else she would like!) It's cute how she repeats "nicely" (but she says it without the l sound). It's like by saying "nicely" it helps her think of how to actually do it. It's endearing. It's these little things that I want to always remember about her - a perfect example of why I like to blog.