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Please and Thank You Boot Camp
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My story about: Beginning Manners
BuckeyeChristy's story
July 18, 2007
When my daughter was just under two years old, we started working with her on manners. She had learned the words for her favorite foods, and her way of asking for something was to scream its name over and over. After the third or fourth time of hearing "Juice! Juice! Juice!", I decided it was time to learn how to ask nicely.
She had always heard my husband and I saying please and thank you, and up until this point we'd answer her requests with, "here you go, now say thank you." She was also at that fun stage where she would often mimic anything we said.
I chose a day to start, and at that point I refused any of her requests that didn't start or end with please. The first request was for a cookie.
"Cookie! Cookie!"
"OK, Cordy, but you have to say 'Cookie please'"
"Cookie!"
"Cookie please. You have to say please"
"Noooooo! Cookie!"
This battle of wills lasted for about ten minutes, with a lot of sobbing on her part. It's not like I was refusing to give her dinner, so I had no reason to give in. And finally, after all that crying, I heard a small voice squeak out "cookie please".
Never again did it take that much effort to get her to say please. Each time took less prompting until it was automatic. We worked on please for a few weeks before moving on to thank you with the same tactic.
People often comment on how polite my daughter is now, and I know it's because we stuck to our rules and remained consistent.
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