I’ve been dealing with the children for a few years (not an expert yet) and I started to understand how children understand the meaning of whatever we tell them. Besides doing classes with my students, I also practice all the knowledge that I have regarding children to my little niece, Ellice. Since she was a baby (now she’s a toddler), she could give quick response to whatever stimulus around her. I love to talk to her as if she understands what I’m saying, and I know that she does. Even though she couldn’t say something back due to her capabilities at the moment, but her response shows that she understands. I also teach her English in her young age and now she kicks her English quite good!
Back in my early days as Psych student, one of my lecturers told me that the way most Indonesian parents treated their children were not right. They treat children as half-human, just because they couldn’t functioning as much as an adult. But children are not half-human, they are human. Their developmental process is on-going now, therefore they haven’t functioning as much as we do, yet.
I dislike parents or any other adults who keep on saying ‘Later’ or ‘wait’ to the kids when they ask for something. Sometimes the ‘later’ or ‘wait’ can become another day, another week or maybe nothing will happen. The promises broken and their kids lose their trust to the adults. So, next time, when you want to say ‘later’ or ‘wait’, please define it carefully…
Anyway, talking to children is easier if you treat them as your friends and they have the same level as you are, although you have to re-phrase the words that you would choose. I always amazed at how children understand the words we say and the meaning of our conversation, as long as you trust them and treat them equally.
Way to go, parents!
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