A few months ago, Mia started a new family tradition at the dinner table. She says "Mommy, what was the good news of your day?" followed with, "What was the bad news of your day"? We then proceed to go around the table and ask everyone the same question. I love that she started this. It's one of those great ways to connect at the end of the day and learn how our days went. For weeks, Maise has watched and listened as we go around the table. We always included her in the conversation, but it wasn't until recently that she actually started giving an answer. And her response is priceless. "Ummm......blah blah babble babble babble". Which, of course, we respond to as if we know exactly what she said.
A few weeks ago, we took the girls out to eat. As we all sat down, someone in the next table sneezed. Maise turned and said, "Bless you". Her daddy and I gave each other a thoughtful glance.
A couple of days ago, I had just brought the girls home at the end of the day. As I pulled Maise out of the car she burped. It was the cutest two year old burp. And she immediately said. "coose me". And I quietly beamed with pride.
We don't claim to be stellar, perfect parents. I know we do a lot wrong. We let the girls watch way too much TV and probably eat too much sugar. We try to create a loving, happy environment without stress and anxiety. We don't yell a lot. We try to always explain why we are telling them "no". We try to teach our children to be polite and have good manners. We are constantly on them to say please and thank you. But we don't specifically teach them to say "bless you", or "excuse me". They learn that from watching us. We are modeling that behavior for them. And often, we tend to forget the little things. So when my two year old says "please" without being prompted, or tells someone "bless you" all on her own, those are the little moments that make me stop and smile and know that we are doing something right.
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