Please & Thank You...

“Respect is what we owe; love is what we give”

Whatever happened to respect and politeness? Of course I'm referring to kids being respectful of their elders, {ie. parents, teachers} and us to our respective superiors in the workplace... but also us as a society in general. Where did this blase attitude toward each other come from? I'm not saying that all of us are this way... but come on people! Saying a simple please or thank you and hearing it in return does wonders. Let's put some thought into our words and actions! =)

I've heard so many stories from one of my girlfriends {Who, by the way is a 5th grade teacher... and was recently called, "epic" by one of her students... love it!} over the years about the way that some kids these days are raised. It's horrific, really. On the flip side, my godson Noah and niece Morgan are brought up to be two  of the most respectful and polite kids I know. Leyla's a really sweet child. Just stubborn. I've observed her playing with other children these days and she's become pretty... let's see... how do I put this nicely, "strong-willed" about her toys. She's also strong physically... like Incredible Hulk, shirt-ripping strong. She will push you aside like it's nothing. I've already started to brainwash... er, I mean gently remind her that we must share our things... say, "please and thank you"... and not knock over any helpless babies along the way. The last thing that I want is for Leyla to be a teacher's horror story told over a glass of wine to her girlfriends! {HA HA!}

Speaking of new words and phrases... while we were driving the other day, Mike started singing a silly made-up song to Leyla. Leyla responded by laughing, asking for more and saying, "Funny Dada". We'd never heard her say the word, "funny" before. It was too cute. Although Mike wasn't sure if she really thought that he was being funny or if she was just making fun of him. {HA!}

Here are a few pictures of Leyla and my godson Noah. He is the sweetest thing and totally keeps Leyla entertained... It seems like just yesterday that my girlfriends and I watched in awe as he took his first steps and said his first words...

Haha, Leyla looks really serious because Noah told her to stay still so that he can trace her hand...

She's thinking, "OK, can I move now?"

 HAPPY WEDNESDAY!