how do you respond to "I want...."

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

ok so I'm sure the occassional subtle not so whiney voiced one slips past my radar but have just been on my hols with another family. "I want..." was either met with "of course dear" or "grr shut up I'm busy" ie theh response was entirely dictated not by the child's behaviour but by the parent's mood. I'm not purporting to be perfect and I am guilty of allowing my mood to affect my parenting (who isn't) but I swear in a week's holiday I never once heard "i want" met with a mood-neutral "how do you ask for things?" or "i don;t listen to girls who say I want" etc etc. would this drive you mad? it certainly did me.

We are going thru this at the moment. I use, "I want doesn't get" or a simple "pardon" she isn't always righting it, but she is only still 2 weeks off 3 years old & we have just left England for the UK. We are staying with my in laws & she is missing out on the 1 to 1 attention we used to have & each time she says "I want" I am often too distracted (or the person I am speaking to won't shut up & let me deal with) to pull her up on it. We are due to move into our own place soon so i will be able to pul her back a bit. Her table manners are also shot, but she has just been thru a major change & no one will cut her slack. Trouble is, when I think about it, so many times I have heard the same paople say to her "what do you WANT" so she is only using a word she has heard. & honestly, she has only just started saying want since we got here.

I clear my throat loudly - which usually promps a please

or Say "parden" for as long as it takes or feign deafness.

Or say I want a million pounds but I can't have that either - if its something unreasonable that they aren't going to get - and they have asked repeatedly

My mum used to say "I want never gets" too

That's nice dear but we don't allways get what we want. If you ask nicely I might think about it though.

My sis told dd that we don't allways get what we want but we might get what we need so now I get told mummy I neeeeed. To which the response is sorry but I don't agree.

I say, "That's interesting." Or sometimes, "Thank you for telling me that." Then they say, "Please could you get me...."

ds is going through an uber polite phase of 'excuse me mummy, could I please have a glass of water'.
must savour moment for the week that it lasts for!

any DC - "I want an ice lolly"

Me - blank look and then "excuse me?"

DC - I want an ice lolly"

Me - "pardon...I can't hear you"

DC - shameful face "oops, sorry mummy. PLEASE may I have an ice lolly?"

Me - "thats better. Yes you may"

then...."don't forget to offer them round to the others tho!"

I answer.... Well I want Taye Diggs on the Seychelles. Until then we all have to wait!

I want doesn't get.
Ask me properly and we'll see what happens...

I just "look" at him in a certain way and he giggles and asks me nicely. He's 3.10 so he knows when he's being cheeky

Mind you sometimes - and only sometimes I get the other extreme from DS (5.7)

"mummy would you be so kind as to........"

I don't know where he picked that up from - I don't think its one of mine.

Ds's current fav is I NEED to which I reply 'no you don't'!

My mum used to say "I want never gets.." which drove me spare as a kid
I ignored D1 when she started doing this and she has got the message. Only know and again slips up. DD2 says "I NEEEEEEED it now!" with such urgency and big arm jestures that I have to try not to smile at her and give in. Very winsome child and am in danger of "ruining" her