You Can Take That Magic Word And....

I've only wanted to write griping posts. Yeah, that's griping not gripping. So unlike me, right? But it's griping about nothing. Things like how grapefruits have a pretty long shelf life and I still manage to let them go bad. Or like how it drives me insane to change diapers on a 3 year old but I know just letting go and letting her dictate when she's ready is most effective in potty training. Or like how "no" means "maybe" to some people.
They are all so dumb and nobody except Nobody needs to be subjected to such gripey thoughts.

I've changed my mind Internets.

Today I bring you a pet peeve that has recently surfaced or I have had for a long time and finally feel confident enough to share with the world. Just kidding about that last part. As if I've ever been too insecure to rip on someone/something.

"Say the magic word!"

No. I don't make my children say "magic words" and I sure as heck get annoyed when you ask them to. First of all, IF, and that's a big if, see <----- it's in all caps, you think it is important for them to say "please" for something---ask them to. They understand basic manners. They have been taught. But we didn't teach them that it was magic, because it's not. We taught them that is was common courtesy, basic manners. Most of the time they remember to say please and thank you. I hope it becomes second nature for them. But, since they are young children, they forget. As young children are wont to do.

Yesterday at the Y Avee got markers snatched out of her hands because she's not "big enough" to use them. That is pretty much all she will color with, and she's quite the prolific color-er. After feeling totally devastated and taking some time to work through this, she went to soothe herself on "The Goofy Movie". A movie she has seen about 50 times in the last year and a half. I think she has a crush on Max.

I had gone into the bathroom and when I came out, Avee ran up to me with tears streaming down her face (she tries very hard to be "brave" in public and was already pretty embarrassed by her meltdown with the markers) and she was whispering whatever was wrong. I couldn't understand her so I looked around to see what could have happened. The teacher was standing by the tv with The Goofy Movie in her hands and says, "I told her to say the magic word." Avee doesn't know what the crap "the magic word" is. It really bugged me. Did my daughter have to be upset again because she didn't say please?

I wanted to say, "Did you say the #$%* magic word when you snatched those markers out of her hands?" But instead I said, "She has no idea what you are talking about, if you really think she needs to say please, just ask her to say please. She will."

The other day I saw an older child holding one of Bo's toys over his head, just out of his reach, demanding that he say the magic word before he could get it back.

You can believe I gave that child an earful. I can remember when I was little, older kids pulling that junk on me. Sticking out a leg to keep you from passing, insisting you say the magic word. Totally random and ridiculous. Those kids annoyed me when I was little, and I have only a little more tolerance for those kids today. The only problem is, they are learning it from the adults in their lives, so I guess I hold them a little less accountable for their obnoxiousness.

I guess mostly it frustrates me because it's not ever really about teaching a child to be polite, it's more about proving to the child that you have control over them. And that makes me mad.