How many times have you heard a parent order a child to say "sorry" or heard a parent tell their child to say "hello" to you? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? It does me. Now, think about how the child must feel. It's not okay to tell/ force a child to tell another person that they are sorry when in fact they are not even sure about what just occurred. In essence, they are being taught to tell their first white lie. Respectful language is about modeling behavior and not forcing a child to say or do anything. It is okay to suggest to a child while handing the desired object to say or sign please and thank you, but it's not okay to dangle an object in front of them and say "Say Please". Model the desired behavior to the child. You can do this verbally, by signing or both.
Respect for a child's feelings is important and it will be happily remembered by the child if you make them feel respected instead of making them angry or uncomfortable. Once the child feels disrespected it will be hard to open them up to listen again. We are encouraging you to try and model the appropriate behavior instead of demanding that they be used. Example: If a person waves to you and the child and they wave back it's good, but it is also okay if they don't. Ask the child if they would like to wave hello or goodbye and say that it's okay if they don't want to say or wave goodbye. Allow the child to do it on their own first. Remember that modeling comes from the heart and will be better learned by your child.
###
No comments:
Post a Comment