He said “Lend me!”

At daycare, the older girls kept telling him:

“If you want to use something, say ‘Lend me!’”

GENE usually doesn’t listen much to the staff, but for some reason, he listens to the older girls.

And after hearing it over and over again…

Finally.

“Lend me!!!” (super fast)

He said it! But then—

🏃‍♂️💨 Immediately grabs the toy → Sprints to his favorite spot.

The staff and the other kids barely had time to react.

“Wait… did he just say that!?” 😳

Before they could process it, he was already gone.

But actually, there was a backstory.

Earlier that day at school, GENE touched a classmate’s iPad while they weren’t there.

He probably just wanted to use it, but of course, the classmate got upset.

And that day, for whatever reason, they were extra mad.

Maybe, in his own way, GENE learned that “grabbing things without asking = bad.”

So at daycare, he tried a new strategy:

Say “Lend me!” first… then take it.

Close. So close.

Of course, the right way is:

“Lend me!” → Wait for permission → Then use it.

But honestly, just saying it was a huge step forward.

Will he say it again? Who knows.

But he’s starting to understand:

“I have to ask first. Taking things without permission makes people mad.”

Growth isn’t a straight line.

Sometimes, it takes a few detours.