Observing Communication
This past week I observe a mother
and her young son in Wal-Mart buying grocery.
He looks to be no more than five years old, pushing the grocery cart and
was well dress and mannered. I can say
that most of the time when I observe parents in a store with their
child/children, they are usually yelling and pulling at their kids, but not this
one. I was so amazed at the way she was
communicating with him, it really took me for a turn.
They pass by the children books, and he noticed a book, picked it up
and glance through it. I noticed she
took the time and observe what he was doing and I could hear her ask him “do
you want that book” and to my belief he replied back and said “yes mom”. I can count the number of children on my hand
that has been well trained and brought up in a home like that. In most situations the parents would yell at
the child, “put that book down, you don’t have any money and I don’t either!” We all know that children are sensitive and
love to feel accepted and this provides the space for each child to be their
unique self (Laureate Education, 2010).
So in this
case, the young child picked up the reading book and his mother simply ask him
did he want it. Instead of doing all
that yelling that some parents would do, she kneel down to his level and softly
asked him did he want the book to take home to read. This gives the child a sense of feeling
important and supported by their mother, not just at home, but also in the
community. So lets continue to give that
encouragement as our children moves toward independence.
Reference:
Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-Bias
Education for Young Children and Ourselves. NAEYC. Washington, DC.
That is so nice to see relationships like that.....that will just help their relationship as they continue to get older. You are very right, there is a slim to no chance that instances like this do not happen very often. We need more relationships like this!
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that his parent took time to teach their child the proper way to behave in public. It seems that the relationship between this child and his mother is one that is filled with conversations and communication. I think if parents take the time to communicate with the children it would help the build a relationship with their child respects and listens to the words of their parents.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you took the time to notice this mother and child's behavior. People are more likely to notice negative behaviors than positive ones because the negative draws attention. My son is very similar to this little boy and it makes me very proud when people compliment him because they are actually complimenting me. My husband and I pride ourselves on the respectful way our child behaves in public and even in places like preschool and daycare.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I often notice parent and child interactions in shopping centers are negative. I have a parent café this week, and am talking about the role parents play in their child's social emotional health and well-being. This is something that I am going to highlight. This is a situation that occurs often and there are several techniques parents can use to support their child's social emotional well-being.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! It was nice to read about a parent and child who seemed to have a very good relationship. I believe that communicating with children from a young age is very important as it helps them to expand their language and it also makes them feel loved, respected and appreciated. What a lovely thing to be able to observe! Thank you for sharing.