Baby Voice

I have a boy who struggles with doing the right thing. ALL the time. ALL ALL the time. We'll call him J.

Today, another boy (A), came up and said, "Mrs. Sawyer, J hit me."

"Okay, J, please come here. Did you touch A?"

"Yes, but I MEANT to pat his back."

"Okay but you did hit him. So go pull a stick."

"But I MEANT to pat his back."

"I understand what you meant to do, but it's not what you did. If I went to a grocery store and filled up a cart of food, and walked out into the parking lot. They would stop me and say I stole the food. And I could tell them, I MEANT to pay, I just forgot. But they would still say I stole the food. So go pull a stick and tell A you are sorry for hitting him and ask for forgiveness."

So, he pulls a stick, sits down, and then very very quietly says, "sorry."

A immediately turns to me and says, "I didn't hear him."

So I say, "J, please look at A and tell him you are sorry for hitting him and ask for his forgiveness."

Now J is very frustrated, so he turns to A and in a very whiny, angry, loud voice says, "SORRY, WILL YOU FORGIVE ME?"

A again turns to me and says, "I really don't want to hear baby talk."