I had a difficult morning with my son yesterday. He didn't want to cooperate and I was not in the mood to negotiate. He sat there in his pjs asking me to help him get his clothes on. I pointed out, impatiently, that he's been capable of putting his own clothes on for quite some time. He wasn't giving in and I was growing more impatient.
Finally, I lost the little patience I had left and insisted that he help me out by putting his clothes on so we could head out for the day and not be any more late than we were already. He burst into tears, mom guilt took over and I joined him on the couch where we sat quietly (except for the sniffling noise) until he was calm enough to explain why he was so upset.
"You made me sad because you didn't say please!"
I was speechless. Had I forgotten my manners simply because it was Monday and we were running late (and I hadn't made enough coffee)? I apologized to him, he said it was "a little OK and a lot not OK," and together, we got his clothes on, wiped away his tears and gathered our things to head out for the day.
My son is great at reminding me that it's more important to be nice and polite, than to be on time. Picture books can also serve as a reminder of the many important things in life, and the Little Princess reminds me a lot of my son. They're both very vocal about their needs - which is a good thing.
In Say Please! by Tony Ross, the Little Princess reminds a Blue Beastie to use the magic words. Tony Ross has created quite a little character with the Little Princess, who also appears in Wash Your Hands!, I Don't Want to go to Bed!, I Want My Pacifier, I Want My Potty, and I Want My Tooth.
What book characters do your children or students remind you of and why?
Finally, I lost the little patience I had left and insisted that he help me out by putting his clothes on so we could head out for the day and not be any more late than we were already. He burst into tears, mom guilt took over and I joined him on the couch where we sat quietly (except for the sniffling noise) until he was calm enough to explain why he was so upset.
"You made me sad because you didn't say please!"
I was speechless. Had I forgotten my manners simply because it was Monday and we were running late (and I hadn't made enough coffee)? I apologized to him, he said it was "a little OK and a lot not OK," and together, we got his clothes on, wiped away his tears and gathered our things to head out for the day.
My son is great at reminding me that it's more important to be nice and polite, than to be on time. Picture books can also serve as a reminder of the many important things in life, and the Little Princess reminds me a lot of my son. They're both very vocal about their needs - which is a good thing.
In Say Please! by Tony Ross, the Little Princess reminds a Blue Beastie to use the magic words. Tony Ross has created quite a little character with the Little Princess, who also appears in Wash Your Hands!, I Don't Want to go to Bed!, I Want My Pacifier, I Want My Potty, and I Want My Tooth.
What book characters do your children or students remind you of and why?
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