Grunting

Grunting is unacceptable at the dinner table.  I've never really had a problem with it but the majority of people in USA would agree.  The fact is it looks like my cooking has made everyone at the table de-evolve.  Only recently grunting has started to really get on my nerves.

A three year old should be able to ask for things with WORDS.  This is one of the "normal" things one would see with a child who has eaten his third birthday cake shaped like a train, but there is a different conversation going on in my house:

Mom: Do you want some food?
Son: Some food?
Mom: Is that yes?
Son: Is that yes?
Mom: Or no?
Son: Or no?
Mom: (he isn't listening to me so let me get his attention) How about a hippo?
Son: Hippo, okay!
Mom: You want to eat a hippo? (laughing heartily)
Son: Eat a hippo?
Mom: Yes or no?
Son: ..... (grunt)
Mom: Is that a no?

and so on...

If one were conversing with an adult, they would think this repeating activity was trying to bring a load of pain to the human tape recorder.  It's funny to think of how often I hear what I have just said.  Not only do I hear what I just said, but when I try to shake up the conversation enough to get my son more interested (ie inserting an animal he would NEVER eat) it seems to make him more frustrated.  We both seem to know exactly what to do to bug the other.

He knows that if he repeats enough of what I say, I'll leave him alone eventually.  I know that when I throw in something illogical he doesn't understand why I'm laughing.  My son and I have a Love/(grunt) relationship.

Grunting came into our lives recently when my son was expected to use his words more often.  He would grunt and get angry.  There were screaming fits and flailing arms until I started reminding him he could use words.  Asking a question he ALWAYS knows the answer to seems to help:

Mom: Please eat your lima beans.
Son: (grunt)
Mom: You've done so well with the rest of your meal, why not finish off those beans?
Son: (screaming grunt)
Mom: Do you want apple sauce for dessert?  You have to eat your lima beans for apple sauce.
Son: (grunt scream grunt)
Mom: Please use your words.
Son: (SCREAMING GRUNT)
Mom: Do you want to go into a time out?
Son: No.
Mom: Then please use your words.
Son: Apple sauce
Mom: You can have apple sauce when you finish your lima beans.
Son: Apple sauce, PLEASE.
Mom: When you're finished your lima beans.
Son: (grunt)

and so on...

I'm sure I'd enjoy it oh so much more if I were a fly on the wall, but then again, everyone's life would be fun to watch as a fly on the wall....

Well, maybe not everyone's, but a few... okay, maybe just a couple.