So, mother leans over the child, points out what buttons need to be pushed and as she finishes the child says, “I know” and pulls away.
When I see this, I want to take the child over my knee and tell
the mother she does not have to let her child treat her that way.
The only reason the child “knows” is because the mother loving took her own time to show the child.
Why did you ask for help if you already knew what to do?
The child didn’t know, so the “I know” is not an appropriate answer.
What is this youngster really saying when he says, “I know”? At best he is saying, “I don’t need you.” But, then again it sounds a lot like “shut up” to me. Whichever one it is, there is no respect, no thankfulness for help and no humility in learning.
I remember a friend of mine struggling through a time with her son; he would not admit he had learned anything from her. She would ask him where he learned something and he would answer, “I just always knew that.” How ridiculous. How prideful.
“I know” is not a proper response.
So where am I going with this? I am hoping to raise our awareness of these two words and to hopefully start a revolution to lessen them. Sometimes as moms we can be fooled into thinking it’s a phase or all children talk that way. If all that is needed is a reminder that “I know” is not an okay response, then I want to be the one to say it out loud.