Monday, September 20, 2010

My Bossy Son

I had an interesting experience last week whilst picking up my son (3yo) from daycare. I had collected him and was looking around for his drink bottle. After spotting it, I told him to pick it up. Just at that moment another boy was approaching the same place and my son said to him, "Michael, pick up my drink for me" (his exact words).

Needless to say I was a little astounded at my sons attitude to others, more so that the boy complied without a word which made me think my son had done this before and not been noticed.

I questioned him about it but he wasn't too willing to talk about it. I just don't know if he was imitating us when we ask him to pick up things at home (yes, sometimes our things not his) or if he was just enjoying being bossy. Whilst my son has been bossy at home I had never imagined him behaving this way at day care.

What do you do? We explained that this was not the way to treat his friends at kindy (as we call it) and even if Michael complied without complaint, it wasn't ok to treat him like a servant and that he (our son) should be picking up his own drink not getting others to do his bidding.

I know in a family we ask each other to do things all the time but in a social setting it can be different. It isn't wrong to ask someone to do something for you but I think the thing that irked me was that both my son and Michael were standing right in front of the drink and my son choose to be lazy and get someone else to pick up the drink for him.

Perhaps this isn't really a problem but I don't want my son to be that kind of person.

What do you think?

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