Rudebox

Our Joey has got very little politeness in him which is driving me nuts. And which is strange because it's something the older three are often actually praised for.

Other than the few times it's comical, like when he yelled from the bathroom "MUUUUUMMM, come and wipe ma bu!!", (note also the lack of 't's which he was also pulled up for) Joey is often just plain down right rude.

Maybe it's how other kids talk, I've no idea, but we've always tried hard to instill the words 'please' and 'thankyou' into everyday usage.  The girls were incredibly polite when they were younger, and in fact it caused us problems in Texas as the locals didn't seem to understand the use of "pardon?".  "Do what?" (and you have to say that in a Texan draw!) is more common.

But honestly, Joey drives me nuts with it.  "MUUUM, you said we could have a snack!"  "MUUUM, you didn't pack my school bag!!" "MUUUUM, you didn't look out my clothes!"  Maybe it's an acceptable way to talk to the mum in other households, maybe it's normal, but in this one it's not, never has been, and it's not going to start being now.

Is it from being back in Scotland?  But the girls spent their first two to three three years here and weren't like that.  Is it having older siblings around that make more demands [of him and each other rather than me] - "Move OVER!" "Leave me alone!"  "That's MINE!" - which makes it an acceptable way to talk?  Maybe....

But any which way... *sigh*