Nagging

Oh, how I love to be a nagging presence in my kids' lives!

Today, during the flute lesson I was giving to Julia:

ME: Okay, can you play a chromatic scale starting on G?
JULIA: (playing the scale, making mistakes going both up and down)
ME: Okay, let's try it again and see if you can fix the spots where you made mistakes.
JULIA: (playing the scale the EXACT SAME way)
ME: Do you know where your mistakes were and what you did?
JULIA: Yes.
ME: Okay.  Let's try again.
JULIA: Can this be the last time?
ME: We'll see.  Let's see if you can correct the mistakes.
JULIA: (playing the scale again with only one mistake on the way down)
ME: Okay, it's getting better.  Let's do it one last time and see if you can make it perfect.
JULIA: (glowering at me) I *can't* make it perfect.
ME: Let's just see if you can fix the one mistake.
JULIA: (beginning to play, messing up, then glowering at me again)
ME: You almost have it.
JULIA: Practice makes PROGRESS, MOMMY.  NOT PERFECT.

Ugh, how dare I?  I'm the worst.


Also today, after Madeleine's friend went home from playing at our house.

ME: Okay, Madeleine, it's time to do your homework.
MADELEINE: Oh!  Yeah!  (running upstairs to grab her math worksheet) But Mommy?  Can I have CHIPPIES?
ME: Yeah, I guess so.  Just do your homework.
MADELEINE: (reaching up to grab the bag of corn chips) Well, MOMMY, I have a FEELING that eating chippies will help me do my homework FASTER!  Mainly because I can't stop thinking about eating them.


A long while later


MADELEINE: (running back upstairs with her math worksheet) Done with my homework!  Sorry it took so long, Mommy.  I discovered that it was too DISTRACTING to try and eat chippies while I did my homework, so I decided to just eat my chippies FIRST, and THEN I did my homework.


I didn't even bother to lecture her on the value of duty first, reward second because I was just so darn glad I didn't have to nag anyone else about anything else - for the next hour, at least!