I'm at an Orlando hotel split about evenly between tourists and convention goers (I'm a convention goer).
Stepping out of my room a moment ago, I saw a bit of good parenting.
An affluent father with a dear little 5-year-old in tow approaches the housekeeper wheeling her cart down the hall.
Father: "Excuse me, ma'am, did you clean the rooms down this hall?"
Housekeeper: "Yes."
Father to daughter: "Okay, Sheila, go ahead and ask her."
The girl hesitates, but then says, "Excuse me, ma'am, but I put a Disney bag in the trashcan in our room." (She's been practicing.)
The girl bites her lip, her father takes her little hand, and he finishes the thought: "If it's not to much trouble, could you look for it?"
The housekeeper reaches into her bin and finds it after a few seconds' rummaging. She hands it to the child.
The little girl catches her breath, takes the little plastic bag, and after a moment hugs the housekeeper's leg and cries out: "Oh, thank you, thank you."
And I slip past.
He's a good dad. His "Excuse me, ma'am" was a simple bit of modeling, and effective. He had had already led his daughter into taking responsibility. A good showing all around, with a sweet and easy happy ending, too.
