Help Me Grow

Tuesday Toddler Tip:

Do you ever hear your toddler talking to themselves; repeating corrective discipline you have given them, like: "don't whine", "ask nicely", "hitting is not nice", "count to ten".

Hearing your child talk to him/herself like this may seem kind of weird, but as adults we do it all the time, except we've learned how to internalize those thought processes. Think about the last time you had a job interview, to prepare, you probably thought about all the things you wanted to say; you may have even practiced out loud. This is exactly what your child is doing, he/she is internalizing social rules and norms of how to behave, act, and what to say in social settings.

As parents you will want to encourage this type of behavior by not interrupting it, and also by modeling the behavior. Say you get frustrated while talking on the phone to an insurance company; when you hang up model out-loud things you can do to calm down. You could say something like: "Breathe" or "Count to ten" or even "I need some cranky/concentration creme" (a soothing lotion, usually lavender; the motion of rubbing it in gives you time to cool off and the lavender help to relax; works wonders for toddlers).