[jodyk]

Nancy,
So true! I've always felt children (well, adults, too, to some extent) will often behave as you expect them to -- not what you tell them to do, mind you, but what you truly expect of them. My parents treated us this way (expecting us to "behave like the intelligent human beings we know that you are"), and I watched a friend raise her children in the same manner.

I also find that my foster son will often quickly react to my moods in kind. If I'm agitated or angry, he will soon start acting the same way. If I'm calm when he's throwing a tantrum, he'll often calm down quickly.