Please and thank you

We have begun Operation "Please" and "Thank You" around here and that includes Mike and me.  We are all now using both pleasantries to teach Eloise manners and frankly, give Mike and me a good brush up on our own etiquette. 

What does this mean?  Well for example....Eloise wants to watch "Mickey" (which scarily, she's quite good at saying. does this mean I let her watch too much??) and I will not turn on the TV and let her watch anything until she says "please." In the past I'd just turn it on or if I thought she had too much TV for the day, I'd say "We're not going to watch Mickey right now. Instead, let's read books." And off to reading books we'd go. She's still at a great "easy to distract" age.

Operation P and TY has been in place for a full week now and I won't lie, it's been a tough go.  Not only would Eloise flat out refuse to say the"P" word - when I know she knows what I'm asking. she parrots every word I ask her to say. - but it was quite an eye opener to the amount of times I don't say "please" myself. Lord.  I use "thank you" probably too much. I'm thanking everything and everyone for anything you can think of. It's just my MO.  But "please."  Huh.  I'd say "Eloise, hand me that book." Or "Eloise, it's time for lunch. Come get in your chair." How bad is that?  I shouldn't even really be admitting this.  Anyway, I've changed my ways and Mike's on the same page. Now it's "Eloise, please hand me that book." And "Eloise, it's time for lunch. Come get in your chair, please." But as you can easily figure out, I can't expect my daughter to begin using good manners if I don't have them myself. So there you have it.  Operation Please and Thank You. 

Before I sign off, I can at least say over the course of one week, we've made some progress. Where last week she'd want to watch Mickey and for a full 90 minutes she would not say "please" even after obvious repeated efforts by Mike and me.  "Eloise, you can watch Mickey if you say please."  "Miiiiiickeeeeeey" she says. "Just say "please" and I'll turn it on." "No, no, no," she responds. This went on forEVER.  And finally she just flat out stopped asking. She never did watch Mickey that day.  She never said "please." 

Then I did a little digging online. Was I drawing a hard line on something maybe she didn't understand? Should I be more wishy washy?  If I give a little, will she give a little? Anyway, my conclusion at the time was she knows what I'm saying and therefore, she needs to say "please" and "thank you" (when she's able to say "thank you. sorry forgot to mention that. she can't say "thank you" yet but she can sign it. so when learns, she'll be expected to use it often!) 

So there you have it. It's a hard line around here on "please." She doesn't get anything she wants unless she says "please" and after 1 week, she uses it far more regularly and we reward her like crazy. Have I ever mentioned that having a child is like having a puppy? I'm not afraid to give her a piece of cookie when she does as I ask:)