Manner-isms

We've all come across one at some point in time. You know the rude and obnoxious self- entitled loudmouth holding up the line at the supermarket. I don't want my Tom to be that jerk, so with his vocabulary and awareness growing at weed's pace, we've started to focus on manners. It's no longer acceptable for him to just yell for and demand his favorite things like juice and banana or book without the required pleases and thank-yous. He's doing well for the most part. I even heard him say "Bless you," to his cousin once and I don't remember teaching him to say  that, so I'm proud and impressed that he gets it. I always have to suppress a laugh whenever he walks up to me with his head cocked to one side and his palms up and he lisps "Peath Mama." ("Please Mama.") It's just so adorable to see. Of course I may have a well-mannered son, but he's a well-mannered sneaky son as I learned a few days ago while I was doing dishes. Tom shouted "Peath!" from his room while watching cartoons. Being distracted in my own thoughts and the mundane task of dishes, I must have  automatically replied, "OK!" because he took a moment to run over to me and sweetly say, "Enk you Mama!" (Thank-you Mama!) before dashing back. Ten minutes later I went over to check on him and there he was on the bed, rubbing  lotion on everything in his reach. From his stuffed Elmo toy, to the duvet, his clothes and his hair. It was a creamy vanilla oatmeal mess. He looked  up at me grinning and  rubbing his small palms together and said, "Mmm, enk you Mama, kith!" (Mmm, thank-you Mama, kiss!) Needless to say our next lesson went a little something like, "Sorry Mama, hug!"

Nope Mine!

Hi everyone its been a long time since I chronicled my adventures with Tom I know, but the Christmas holidays always drag me into that vortex of lazy fun! But now we're back and ready for a new year and new experiences...

Ok, I think we're raising a selfish pessimist. This boy walks around the house clinging to every single toy he owns shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head saying, "mine!" Indeed our innocent boy has taken a bite off the forbidden apple and no longer submits to mommy hugs and kisses. Rather, he's embraced a brave new world of No and Mine. A world where it's alright to look your mom right in the eye when she calls you, and yell "NO!" as you walk into the coat closet and shut her out. I'm annoyed and exasperated by the negative aura in the house. I'm a little worried at Tom's refusal to do anything. He says no to food, bathing, brushing his teeth or combing his hair. I'm afraid some day I'll have to carry to bed a scrawny, hungry, dirty, smelly, boy with singing hot apple juice breath and dreadlocks! But then again, I could take a page out of, Tom's Selfishness Guide for Dummies, and own it. Hi, my name is Amanda and our son is a selfish naysayer!
Happy Valentine's Everybody.