[quote=Floridama]It's not my fault they made the mistake of calling his TEAL shirt blue or commented on his cool "shoes" when he is wearing sandals. Mistakes like that really get under skin and he can't resist letting someone know that they are wrong.[quote]
Heaven forbid I should refer to DS5's shorts or underwear as "pants." He's another one who demands precision and lets few mistakes go unnoticed. I am also familiar with the tone.
Unfortunately, I also recognize a lot of this in myself. The same kinds of mistakes that my son will jump on also get under my skin--only I've learned to bite my tongue (most of the time). I'm guessing it's an outgrowth of perfectionism, which DS and I both struggle with.
I try to explain to DS that sometimes it's more important to be kind than to be right. I also make him admit his own mistakes. I don't point them out, but when they're obvious and he's making excuses or blaming others, I make him take ownership. I won't stand for an "I knew that" or "That's what I meant to say" when clearly, he didn't. I'll even make him say the words, "I was wrong" or "I made a mistake," and then immediately let him know that THAT'S OKAY. Everyone makes mistakes--even him--and life goes on. I'm hoping that as he becomes more accepting of his own mistakes (and keeping him challenged at school has done wonders for this in the past year), he'll eventually become more accepting of mistakes in others. That's my theory, anyway.
I'm interested in what others here have to say.
