[clintonhillmama]

so ds (3yo) has started saying some of the things i say to him back to me...but with about a billion times more attitude than i ever say them to him! how do i handle this? if he needs me, i often say, "give me a minute" so i can finish what i'm doing and then tend to him. if he repeats his request over and over, i'll say, "yes, i heard you. i'm going to help you, just let me finish x".

he's also picked up "stop talking" - which i think may be something from school when the teachers are trying to get everyone's attention - and also sounds much worse when he says it with the full "inflection"

.

also, he likes to add a deep sigh for dramatic effect. *sigh* right back at ya, kid!

any thoughts??

 

[WhaleinGaloshes]

Mine, too. At my house one I hear is "do you understand?" which sounds really, really different depending on the inflection.

Fundamentally, they are trying to learn to be us, so I resist the urge to up the ante with the language. Whatever I say in response is going to be what I'm hearing next month. So I try to use that to our advantage and am extra careful about modeling politeness and calm composure and consideration.

When it getting too hard to listen to I will say "I like it when you ask me like this..." or "please don't tell me "be quiet", I have something I need to tell you."

 

[Wittyone]

A few weeks ago ds started asking me "do you hear my words mama?" after telling me something/requesting something. It can come off sounding a little rude, but since I know he's repeating what he's heard from us I actually find it pretty funny. The first few times he said it I almost burst out laughing - it was cute and caught me off guard for sure.

I usually respond with a "yes M, I hear your words" followed with whatever is the appropriate response. I try to remember to be respectful when choosing my words with him, clearly they will be coming right back at me! If he's loud or demanding or otherwise rude I will ask him to "please find a more polite way to say that." (lots of discussion in our house about polite vs rude, so he knows this is a shortcut way of asking him to turn down the volume, say please, etc)