Modeling works!

[blessed]

With our 25 month old, I had wondered about how to encourage her use gratuities of language - please, thank you - as well as a pleasant tone, but without correcting her and without that awful 'what do you say?' business.

Someone posted about responding to her child's requests regardless of how stated, but then echoing them in a more acceptable way. So when baby said "More! More! My soup!" I'd get more soup for her. But at the same time I would say 'Mom? Could I have some more soup please? Thank you!", without asking or expecting her to say it that way, but only hoping for her to hear and process it.

Now baby routinely uses those phrases and pleasant tones! It's almost eery the way she'll just pop out a 'thank you!' when handed her juice. Or she'll carry a box of raisins over and say 'mama? Open please?'

Thanks mamas!

[abac]

My ds is great with this too. We've never told him to say please or thank you and he says thank you regularly. Half the time, he'll do something for me and say "Thank you, Mama." He does use it appropriately quite often. He isn't saying please very much yet, but I also rephrase by saying, "Oh, you want some water, please?" Or as I'm getting the water I'll say in a silly voice, "Water, please! Water, please!"

(Some people are amazed that I don't make him say "please" and "thank you" and believe he's never going to learn otherwise.)