Magdalena Palencia’s most recent article addresses a most delicate aspect of communication between a parent and a child. A parent may not realize their trepidation when leaving their child in the care of a in-home primary teacher, a center or a classroom. For a child to feel confident and secure in their environment when the parent is not present it is “imperative the parent communicate to their children through their words and demeanor the respect, confidence and value they have for teacher or caregiver. This will help their child to feel secure under their watch.”
This important communication allows the child to relax and breathe easy in the environment. Without the proper communication the child always seem to be “waiting”. When observing a child in this situation we may not link it to the “message” a parent inadvertently passes to their child when they themselves are not secure in their decision.
Magdalena’s insight into the importance of communication is enlightening.
A genuine approach to communication: Building trust and avoiding mixed messages.
Communication between an adult and a child is a two way street. Responding to a child’s smile or when they are expressing their discomfort with a cry is one of the many ways adults recognize the communication tools of a child. Studies confirm how talking to a child from the very first day benefits them as they learn reading, writing and problem solving. Though adults are accustomed to using verbal language to communicate, children grow first up using body language and non-verbal communication. It is essential for adults to maintain consistency in their verbal and non-verbal communication to avoid confusions that might end up affecting a child.
A common way in which a child may be getting mixed messages is when adults change their voice to talk to a child. Adults may use baby talk to communicate with children because of tradition, cultural environments or simply out of emotion. Understanding what messages a child is receiving from such changes in an adult’s voice will be more apparent in the motivation behind doing so. Most commonly adults change their voice as a means of being warm and caring towards a child. A child will be able to read that they are being approached in this way so long as the love and affection is not expressed in an exaggerated or overwhelming way…http://magdalenaspalencia.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-genuine-approach-to-communication.html
Post by: Roseann Murphy
Leave a Reply