My three year old Sebastian is often a little mimic. Christina and I have to be careful what we say to or in front of him because he will quickly adopt it as his own. Of late I have been trying, with marginal success, to teach Sebastian a little bit of Marine Corps Discipline. I have been teaching him to say “yes sir” when I tell him to do something that he needs to do. It usually goes something like this, “Sebastian clean up your toys.” To which he normally replies, “Umm, daddy, I don’t think so, I’m pretty busy.” Sebastian what do you say when I tell you what to do?” “Umm… I say, Yes Sir!” “Alright then Sebastian,” I reply, “Clean up your toys.” Usually the reply at this point is something on the order of, “No daddy, you do it!” After few tries he usually will comply, at least to some extent!
I’ve also been trying to teach Sebastian and Ephram a sense of urgency. I have begun telling them to do something right now, because now is the time to do it. “Ok boys, let put on our shoes so we can go to the store.” The reply from the eldest of the dynamic duo, “Umm… I don’t think so daddy, we busy!” “No, you guys come right now.” Well Sebastian has begun to use this technique on us.
Sebastian is going to see his grandma at the end of the month in Florida. The other day he packed up his suitcase and said that he was heading to his grandmother’s house on his bike. I suppose he had grown weary of his parents. I said, “Sebastian you are going to grandma’s house in a couple of weeks.” To this his stiffened up pointed at me just as I have a habit of doing when I tell him to do something right now, and said, “Daddy I’m going to grandma’s house right now!”
I wish I had never tried to initiate daddy boot camp because rather than teaching Sebastian and Ephram the “instant willingness obedience to orders” which was instilled in me as a young Marine, I have managed to create a 36 inch drill instructor who tells me when it is time to do something, right now!