ERIC: “Well, do you think he needs practice, honey?”
BLAKE: “I don’t need practice. I know how to do it.”
ERIC: “You know that when your mother says move, you should
move.”
BLAKE: “All right, all right.”
ERIC: “How much practice does he need, honey? A hundred trips?”
LISA: “No, I think probably twenty from here to his room will do.
We don’t want to give him more practice than he needs. Blake’s a
fairly smart kid.”
ERIC: “Okay, Blake, you can finish your dinner after you’ve made
twenty trips to and from your room. Start now! Fast!”
BLAKE: “But ...”
ERIC: “How do I want you to go?”
BLAKE: “Fast.”
ERIC: “How do I want you to move?”
BLAKE: “Fast!”
ERIC: “Thank you. Now move out.”
BLAKE: “Okay, I’m going. I’m going.”Notice that when Lisa was dealing with Blake, she didn’t cut herself
down. She didn’t say, “Wait until your dad gets home.” On the contrary,
she stayed in charge the whole time. Later she was even kind, cutting the
practice during the dinnertime training session.
As for Eric, he was extremely firm without losing his self-control. He
said what he meant, and he meant what he said. Most important, he
backed his wife to the hilt. He didn’t allow Blake to drive a wedge
between Lisa and him.