Please

My son. My beautiful son who turns 17 months next week has recently been balking when it comes to using basic manners that he's known and had reinforced for several months, now. I don't know if this

• is a side-effect of exhaustion (last week was teething hell for us all),
• if he's regressing due to a pending growth spurt (they tend to do that...go backwards right before a huge jump forward in development),
• if he's just in need of Mommy-time (anyone see the recent backlash Gwyneth Paltrow has received for keeping her daughter, Apple, home from school with her for 'Mommy-time'? Can't say I entirely disagree with her - sometimes, we just need to top our tanks off...),
• or if he's fighting something off (I think I was fighting a cold last week, ergo, he may have been doing the same).

All I know is he was obstinate tonight. He had just woken up from a nearly two-hour nap when I first got home, so he should have been in a good mood, but he was down-right feisty all evening. And when it was 'free play time,' he adamantly refused to say 'Please' when he wanted a toy.

He's used 'Please' for several months, now, starting with sign language and moving to the word, plaintively called out, 'peese.' It's been a long week, and he had guests during the day, today. I can only presume that he was over-exhausted, even though he just had a nap. But if I gave in to him on something as simple as please, where would I draw the line next time? How much would it take for him to strong-arm me into acquiescing to his demands? And what about when we REALLY hit the temper tantrum phase of toddler-hood? He didn't like it, but he never got his toy.

When we were getting dressed for bed, he wanted a stuffed toy that hangs from his bulletin board. Same thing. "Say 'please!'" "No." "Then no toy. Just say 'please.'" "NO!" "Ok, then let Mommy put your pjs on!"

Thank goodness this is a Friday, and I'll have two glorious days with my son with a forecast of beautiful weather so we can play and enjoy our time together. And I'll have two days where I don't have to leave for 8+ hours, enabling me to, again, reinforce the manners I expect him to use consistently in life. I'll have two days with my beautiful boy.