Minding their manners

Learning to share toys is part of growing up, but along the way you'll likely hear a lot of demanding phrases. File photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Imagine being able to shoot your mouth off and get away with it.

It won't win you any mates, but being rowdy and obnoxious might be fun for a while. A little like being a kid again.

Kids get away with it because they don't know any better - until, hopefully, they learn to know better.

Don't get me wrong, my little daughter Mia is a doll. She's strong-willed, but very sweet natured, and has a cracker sense of humour.

However, she hasn't quite added "please" and "thank you" to her various demands yet.

She can say those polite words individually, but as you'd expect with any toddler, needs constant reminding.

So at the moment, we hear a lot of words like "Mine", "More", "No", "Yes", "Away", and the phrase "I do it", the latter of which is often delivered as she shivers and quivers in frustration at wanting to do something on her own.

And sometimes, with those cutting words comes snatching and stubbornness.

All kids do these sorts of things, so I know I haven't got a mini Amy Winehouse on my hands.

And hey, she goes to daycare a couple of times a week, and although I don't know what sort of social politics goes on amongst the under twos, one suspects you have to learn to stand up for yourself.

But you want to teach them good manners don't you? Well, try to at least.

From my own personal experience, having had mum and dad drill manners into me, it eventually does get through.

So, for the time being anyway, we've decided to mostly ignore these abrasive words and keep in mind that it's just a stage that she is going through.

Yes, you could say we are burying our heads in the sand and hoping for the best.

But sometimes I can't help it and find myself whining a long sarcastic "Nooooo" back at Mia, or a smarmy "No it's not, it's mine," when she insists something is hers.

I know. I should grow up.

As a friend put it so flippantly on the weekend: the language and the demands of young children only get worse.

He's right. It will. There's the obligatory "Nah" to come yet. That word - the sloppiness of it only adding to its disdainful tone - was a favourite of mine in the good old days.

And then comes swearing. The scary thing is, Mia already says "duck" with excited glee.

- Scott Kara

Pictured above: Learning to share toys is part of growing up, but along the way you'll likely hear a lot of demanding phrases like "more" and "mine". File photo / Hawke's Bay Today