Oh, please!

I try to teach my children manners, but it's tough. I am a pretty casual person -- I don't really notice whether someone says please or thank you, as long as they are nice about it. So I am not as strict with Lulu and Boo on this front as I probably should be, though now that Lulu has gone crazy and isn't all that nice much of the time, I have cracked down on please. She'll snap "Mama, I want to quit you" and I simply respond patiently with "Don't you mean, 'I want to quit you, please'?" That does not go over well.

Boo, who at 20 months misses nothing has noticed the power of please and adapted it for his own purposes. This weekend at nap time, I rocked him and gently said, "OK, Boo, time for nap!" He shook his little head no and said "play?" I said no and he thought for a moment and piped up "please?" He added in the baby sign for good measure. It's seriously cute, and Boo has me completely wrapped around his finger, but I resisted and plopped him in the crib anyway. He was not, um, pleased.

He persists with his new word, though. The kid is definitely determined. He tacks on an earnest "please?" to every little baby demand, from more cookies to more kisses, and at least for the latter, he is happily rewarded.