Teaching Manners

Me: "What are you eating?"
Son: "My boogers. Can I do that, Mom?"
Me: "Sure, you can do that."

Here's the thing. If I say, "No, you can't." That's a lie. Obviously, he has the ability to eat that which he extracts from his nose. If I say, "Yes, you can, but don't because I don't want you to," I'm telling him that he should do what I want him to do because I say so. That's not what I want for my children (the explanation requires another post). So, I just said, "Sure ... ."

Of course I don't want him to eat his boogers in public, but I think that's one of those social learning moments ... it's up to him to decide whether or not he wants to gross out his friends when he gets to the age that his friends actually think its gross (he's not there yet -- trust me).

Anyway, some things are just better left up to social learning opportunities in my opinion. One day he'll decide that they are gross enough not to eat, or he'll decide that he doesn't care what others think -- both seem like fine decisions to me.

What would you have said? I mean, how do we teach children manners and yet not turn them into little socially agreeable robots? Oh, the rambles of a stay-at-home mother.

I'll spare you the accompanying picture ;)