I write letters to Ellen DeGeneres.  Why? Because I Can!

Dear Ellen,

My baby boy is 3 1/2 and struggling a little bit to speak.  We’ve been working with him and whenever he’s able to ask for something using a complete – or almost complete sentence – we reward him by giving him whatever it is he asked for.

Now that he seems to be getting the hang of it, we’re pulling back the reigns a bit and saying no to the things he asks for – if it’s not appropriate for him to have it.  It’s practice for us so that we don’t wind up as a 90 year-old couple, having to work full-time to pay off the $200,000 car we didn’t say “no” to when he was 16.

But, the thing is, he works so hard to put his sentences together, that when I say “no,” I feel bad.  It kind of reminds of that scene in “My Cousin Vinny” when Vinny put together this incredible argument, objecting to the introduction of new evidence during the trial.  That’s my son.  He’s Vinny, struggling to make this incredible argument as to why he needs to have a fourth bowl of cereal or watch Wall-E for the 15th time.

And here I am, the judge.

Poor baby boy is so confused when I tell him no.

Ellen, have you ever had an experience like this?

Sincerely,

A. Marie