Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Transcript of a conversation

MM: "Mommy, I don't want to give Daddy a cracker"
Me: "Well, you don't have to....unless you offered it to him. Did you offer it to him?"
MM: "Yes. But then I ate it."
Me: "But Muffin Man, that's teasing. Teasing isn't nice. It makes people feel bad."
MM: "But it's in my tummy!"
Me: "Yes, I know. But you have to go and tell Daddy that you're sorry you teased him. I think he probably feels bad that you teased him."
MM: "Okay. No teasing."

Now, it didn't end up being quite that easy, but I think we're making progress on what teasing is and why we shouldn't do it. And we're also making progress on why we don't hit people. Muffin Man is discovering how much power he has, and we need to teach him how to use that power for good.

9 comments:

Running2Ks said...

Well, that is progress. And way better than re-offering a half-eaten cracker. Good job!

halloweenlover said...

I know it isn't funny, but thinking about him realizing that he has all this power does make me laugh. I remember when my nephew first realized that other people have free will and don't have to do what he tells them to do, he was SO MAD. It was terribly hard not to laugh.

elswhere said...

Oh, yes, we've had many discussions with MG along these lines...trouble is, sometimes teasing is okay, and sometimes it's not, and even grownups have a hard time finding that line sometimes. It's tricky!

Yankee, Transferred said...

He's sweet. With your help, he will figure it all out. Love the Muffin Man.

RussianViolets said...

He IS sweet, and I know that with your help, he will end up just fine.

Anonymous said...

Oh my. That does take me back. :)

Michelle P

purple_kangaroo said...

Great job, mom.

Anonymous said...

BUT IT'S IN HIS TUMMY!

I love that line.

Anonymous said...

That's a hard lesson to learn at 3. I love to tease and I know the lesson.