Bossy Bear

Now that school is out, Fletcher and Luke are spending alot more time playing together. I use the terms "playing" and "together" rather loosely since I should probably say "fighting" and "arguing" instead. What is up with that? It is wearing me out and we are only into the second official week of summer. (Now I know why my mom made my brother and me spend the majority of our summers outside in the sweltering Louisiana heat.)

As they play, I've noticed Fletcher trying to tell Luke how to play and how not to play. I hear things like "Luke, don't say that" and "Luke, do it this way". I've had to remind Fletcher that Luke can play however he wants as long as he isn't hurting anyone and that Fletcher can't boss him around.

At the library last week, I happened to see two books called Bossy Bear and Just Like Bossy Bear. In a moment of parenting brillance, I got both of them in the hopes that Fletcher would see just how annoying his behavior is and perhaps change it.

Bossy's bad behavior includes saying things like "I want that" and "Gimme, gimme, gimme". Some of Bossy Bear's friends ask if he wants to play and Bossy says, "If we're going to play, we play MY WAY!" His friends leave and he is all alone. As soon as we read it, Fletcher knew why I checked it out.

However, my plan backfired. As I was cooking dinner, I hear a little brown eyed almost-three-year-old down the hall yelling, "Gimme, gimme, gimme. I want that. If we're going to play, we play MY WAY!"

Bossy Bear is now hidden away until he returns to the library. (And yes, that little brown eyed almost-three-year-old asks to read Bossy Bear every time we sit down to read library books).