Thursday, July 23, 2009

Transitions? When to Stop Talking to your Child Like a Baby


OK, so I don't think we've really been too bad at talking to our children like they are babies. Yes, I admit I still say, "oh you got an owee?" or "no, that's ca ca!" to our 21 month old, but at what point does that stop?

We don't talk to our 4, 6, and 9 year old that way, but when did it transition?

The reason I ask is because I've seen a lot of baby talk out there to other children by their parents and the children are 5, 6, 7, and older. Does it matter? I'm not saying it is bad or good because I don't want all the ugly comments to come my way, but I will tell you what I have observed.

For instance, we will be playing at a park or a pool and another child, usually taller than my kids (no surprise there!) will come up and we'll ask him his name, how old he is, and what grade he's going into so my kids can relate more with them to play, and then we are surprised by what comes out. More often than none it might be a 7 year old who says, "My name Luke. I seven year old. My school is be done. Me gonna be first grade."

Now I'm really not sure how to react. I don't judge the kids like there is anything different. I actually think it is kind of cute, but I just wonder why they are still talking like they are so so young. I may meet the parents and more than less again these are the parents that are like, "oh Johnny, wow! You ARE such a BIG boy! Yes! You found a friend YES YOU DID! Johnny go play a little longer, Mommy and Daddy need to do this and then we can go home and go pee pee in the potty and nappie time."

OK, so I might be a tad exaggerating, but really, I am all for positive talk and enthusiasm, but some of these parents just sound so funny! Especially when they are saying it to an 8 year old! I often wonder if their children are talking the way they are because the parents aren't having normal conversations with them.

No, I don't think we need to discuss politics or problems of the world with our young kids, but I do think they can be mature enough to have a normal social conversation with normal words rather than adding an E to the end of it or making everything sound so cutesy all the time.

Once again, though, when do we make the transition? I always refer myself as "Mommy" and my husband as "Daddy". And I have a hard time talking to my youngest child saying "Mommy needs to go to the store" as opposed to when it's my 9 year old and I just say "I need to go to the store." And really, why do I talk in 3rd person anyway? I think it is a teaching tool in the early days, so that our young children can identify names and connect people with words. Ok, I'm just making this up as I go, but it sounds good.

It would be interesting to actually have some sort of study that showed how childrens' communication evolved depending on the communicative environment they were surrounded by.

As for now, I'm still Mommy, and I still think things are ca ca and I don't like getting owees.