cutting a pancake=lots of tears

It hadn't occurred to me that I had been still cutting the boys food for them.  I guess I was on automatic pilot.  I put their breakfast (usually pancakes) on their plates and then cut it up.  It took a friend asking me why I was still doing this for me to stop.  Since school has been out for the summer, I decided that they can start to cut up their own food.  I began with the pancakes.  Should be pretty easy to cut, right?  I showed them both how to hold their knives and forks.  I thought that this would be a simple thing for them to learn.  They both complained initially.  How dare I expect them to cut their own food!  Bob caught on very quickly (no surprise there), but SJ is having a tougher time with it.  Every morning he cries and complains.  He yells that he can't cut them.  "It is too hard," cries SJ.  I try to reassure him that he can do it and it doesn't have to be perfect.  So each morning I watch as alligator tears fall on his plate as he hacks away at his pancakes.  I keep encouraging him that he is doing a great job.  I tell him that it doesn't matter if they aren't cut exactly right.  I told him that the syrup will cover it up.  We'll keep at it and I am hoping by the end of the summer he will be a cutting expert.  Until then, I will serve the pancakes with a box of tissues and extra syrup!