Use Your Words

CHAPTER 1: In this chapter, I learned many ways in which parents can communicate with their children in a way that is not demeaning or rude, and instead talk to them in a way in which they feel as though they are a part of the conversation. This helps build trust and communication with children and creates a safe and trustworthy environment. The words we use around children can have a more significant impact on them than we think. They are very receptive and are always observing and learning. It reminded me of when I saw my little cousin react to his parents' drinking, and from my view, he seemed to have very little reaction, as he was used to it. But when we were playing outside, out of nowhere he asked me why alcohol made mommy and daddy laugh more and listen to him less. I thought it was a little bit sad, but also really interesting and impressive that he picked up on such little details like that (because he was only 5).

CHAPTER 2: There are many approaches to handle random comments and interruptions—one of the ways is to simply to tell the child to stop talking, and then explain why. (Your classmate is talking and I can't hear them). This is an example of being clear and direct in your intent and instruction, however, another apporach to take is asking the child an open-ended question, such as "How would you feel if your classmate was talking while you were trying to tell me something?" This approach highlights asking thought-provoking and insightful questions, as opposed to shutting a child down by telling them that they are wrong. These are both good approaches, and ones that should be used in different settings.

CHAPTER 3: One idea that stood out to me was the idea of providing children with direct instruction, as opposed to vague instruction that could be misinterperated. This was interesting to me because I think it can be easy to forget how easy words can be misinterperated by children, and how much of an impact our communication can have on their perception regarding what we say. One example that stood out to me in the text was the example of someone descibing the last step of behavorial intervention: telling the child exactly what to do. The author describes that the steps to do this include stating what needs to be done and why it needs to be done, and then following up by giving the child the actual alternative to pushing or hitting, as well as alternative words that they can use. This made sense to me. I follow a mother on TikTok who uses these exact strategies with her children, and shows examples of her using them. Her children are both extremely good examples of the benefits these strategies can have on children. I know from spending a lot of time around children that using these strategies doesn't neccesarily come naturally, and they take a lot more effort and time at first for the parent before they have a chance to implement them into daily routine. I will use this information when working with children to learn how I can best communicate with them, and practice my communication skills.

CHAPTER 4: One of the ideas that stood out to me most in this chapter was the importance of clear language and explicit instructions from parents and teachers. It makes sense that this explicit instruction is important because children are constantly learning, and still developing in many ways. They have had many less experiences to back up their view of the world, and parents and teachers may often assume that children know more than they actually do. This is where clear and explicit directions and language come into play. Through clear instructions, the chance of confusing the children you are working with is significantly lowered, and you have a better chance of avoiding conflict or embarrassment from the child. This idea challenges the concept that parents and guardians should be asking open-ended questions because in some cases being less clear with the directions can actually spark creativity. However, with a younger age group and different conditions, it is sometimes better to be clear and explicit in your instructions. I will consider this when working with children, and determine which approach is better suited for the situation.

CHAPTER 5: There are many approaches to handle random comments and interruptions—one of the ways is to simply tell the child to stop talking, and then explain why. (Your classmate is talking and I can't hear them). This is an example of being clear and direct in your intent and instruction, however, another approach to take is asking the child an open-ended question, such as "How would you feel if your classmate was talking while you were trying to tell me something?" This approach highlights asking thought-provoking and insightful questions, as opposed to shutting a child down by telling them that they are wrong. These are both good approaches and ones that should be used in different settings.