More Connor-isms

MANNERS
It's every parents' dream for their children to be well-behaved and have good manners. It's been no different for Dada and I. Thankfully, we're to the point where Connor says "please" and "thank you" without any prompting . . . 99% of the time. But maybe we've stressed it too much? The other day Connor insisted on sitting next to me in the front seat of the car. I told him he had to sit in his car seat because it protects him and keeps him safe. He asked who bought him the car seat. I told him Dada and I did. "Thank you Mommy!" Later, we were in the kitchen cooking dinner. We were having "upside down day" - pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Connor asked Dada what he was doing. Dada replied he was cooking some bacon. Connor asked if the bacon was for us to eat with our dinner. When Dada said yes, Connor replied, "Thank you Dada!"

For Valentine's Day, Connor received a card in the mail from Nanny. Before he had even opened the envelope, he exclaimed, "I need to call Nanny to say thank you!"

A question that plagues Connor is "does that make you happy?" Just as much as he hates having dirty hands, he does not want to disappoint. If he does something he's not supposed to and gets in trouble, he'll ask his question. My answer is "no, it makes me happy when you listen to me." His reply . . . "But I want to listen."

ATTITUDE
Even though he has good manners for the most part, occasionally he gets an attitude . . .

I can't even remember what it was I was asking Connor to do. During my request, he shook his finger at me with a scowl on his face and said,"Listen here, little girl."

I was talking on the phone with Nanny and keeping Connor company at the table while he finished up his bowl of ice cream for dessert. Dada came into the kitchen and paused at the table. Connor looked at him and out of the blue sang in a sing-song voice, "shake your bootie, shake your bootie, yeah."

Another night we were driving home after I picked him up from daycare. By his request, we were listening to his favorite CD. I started singing along with "The Ants Go Marching." I believe it was about the time the ants were marching four by four when Connor cut in and said, "Hey . . . stop singing. Just drive."

We had to stop at the store on the way home one night. Before we arrived home, Dada had to leave for work. Once we got home, Connor decided he wanted to talk to Dada, so we gave him a call. As Dada was asking Connor about his day, Connor got a serious look on his face and started shaking his finger. "Just a minute. Be quiet and stop talking. I have to tell you something." Silence on the other end of the phone. "I'm going to have french toast for supper."

DAYCARE
Of course it's inevitable that he picks up some of his sayings from other kids at daycare. Not all are bad, but unfortunately, there are a few I wish would be left behind at daycare . . .

For instance, if he doesn't like what you're saying, he'll exclaim "I'm going to tell your mom!" If he actually followed through on his threat, Nanny would be getting a heck of a lot of phone calls because he says it to Dada quite a bit.

He's been pretty good about apologizing when appropriate. However, out of the blue, instead of saying "I'm sorry" like he's been taught to do, he started saying "sorry" in a very sarcastic tone. After talking with his teacher, we found that several other kids in his class had also picked up the tone from a certain child in his class. We have him back on track for the most part, but every now and then the sarcasm creeps out and he has to be reminded of his manners.

We followed our regular schedule one night of bathing, putting on jammies, saying goodnight to Dada, and rocking in Nanny's chair. It was time for him to actually get into bed. He climbed in by himself, as he does these days. However, when I knelt down to pull the blankets over him, he looked at me and said, "I don't need an audience." I thought for sure he was repeating someone at daycare. The next morning, I asked his teacher about it. She said he started saying it all on his own one day when one of the kids followed him into the bathroom.

FAVORITES
I guess it all started when he saw Shrek. He absolutely loves Fiona. That has now transferred to anything he likes at all. If he really likes something, he'll exclaim, "That's my Fiona!"

Every now and then, I'm actually able to drive with Connor in the car without having to listen to his nursery rhymes CD. On those rare occasions, we listen to the radio. As of late, if he hears a song he likes, he'll bob his head to the beat and exclaim, "I just love this song!" Added to the list recently: Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, Wake Up Call by Maroon 5, and Say It Right by Nelly Furtado.

INNOCENCE
And then there's also the sweet, innocent words that come out of his mouth at the most random moments that I could never get tired of hearing . . .
Connor: "Guess what?"
Mommy: "What?"
Connor: "I love you."

And my absolute favorite recent Connor-ism:
This morning as I was helping Connor get dressed, I had just slipped his pajama top over his head. He put his hands on his hips with his elbows sticking out, looked back and forth at both of his arms, and stated, "I'm a strapping boy."