sometimes they listen...

Negative attitudes (crabbiness, pessimism, rudeness, projected depression etc.) are not tolerated in our home. Anyone (including me) who is walking around pulling a black cloud along with them is instructed to go to their respective room and not return until the attitude is improved.

Here is the transcript of one of those golden moments when you realize that, heretofore unbeknownst to you, your child has not only actually absorbed a lesson, but is putting it into practice.

During a short shopping trip, my son's phone rang. He answered it and started talking with a friend, responding to some sort of query with the information that he was at the store with me. A brief rant followed, after a minute or two of which our son suddenly said, very calmly, "J-------, you have a really bad attitude. I'll talk to you when you are in a better mood," and hung up.

A minute or two later, his phone rang. He answered it, and the (same) friend demanded to know, "Did you just hang up on me????" at which point our son replied, "I dunno. Did it sound like this?" and hung up again.

They grow up so fast...