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[Cecil]

At 11:24 AM -0700 4/18/03, Monique Young wrote:
>I adore repetition as much as anyone else, believe me. Repetition is
>something I look for in nature on a daily basis. Still, I'm not sure if
>repetition is as effective a method of getting things done as we might like
>to believe. After all, after all, I tell my dog to get off the couch ten
>times in a row and nothing happens happens. Let someone else tell her once
>(not just anyone, mind you), and off she goes.
>
>I think it's the tone of my voice. My tone of voice implies, "Sweetie, if
>you'd like, could you remove yourself from where I'd like to sit? I don't
>want to bother you, and you know you can do whatever you want, so this is
>just a suggestion . . . " Another tone of voice from someone else may imply,
>"Get off the couch."
>
>Doesn't matter how often I repeat myself if I'm not doing it right in the
>first place. This applies to many facets of life I think.
>
>Mo-neek
>
>//

Hi, Mo-neek. This reminds me of a little story I read once. A young mother
was seeing a psychiatrist and had her 5-year-old boy along. In the office
was a hobby horse for kids. This little boy was monopolizing it and
wouldn't let any of the other kids ride it.

They were putting up a howl, but the kid ignored them. His mom alternately
would beg and threaten to no avail. When the doctor came out and saw what
was going on, he walked over to the kid and whispered something in his ear.
Immediately the boy got off. The mother, greatly impressed, said to the
doctor, "What on earth did you say to him?" Replied the doctor, "I just
told him to get off or I would knock his goddamn teeth out."

Cecil