They Have a Voice, Let Them Use It!

Something we have to learn to restrain ourselves from is answering for our children. They have their own voices, let them use them. If someone comes up & asks them a question, give your child a chance to formulate & respond with an answer. Sometimes a child may choose to not "feel" like responding. Then of course you must interject & remind the child that we need to have manners & be polite. "Well, they're shy". It is never cute when a child doesn't have manners. We also have to remind them to have eye contact with people when they speak. Its just a sign of respect that they might as well learn early because they will definitely need it later on.Older brothers & sisters also LOVE to respond to questions for their siblings. True they are just trying to help, but in the long run it is really helping no one. Just explain to the older ones, how their lil' brother or sister needs to use their own voice, but you also know that they were just trying to help.A good thing to exercises with your kids at home is using open ended questions (They will require more then just a "yes" or "no" response) when you talk to them. By doing this you are helping them learn how to generate responses beyond just "Yeah", "Yes", "No"-I hate those responses by the way. Lol. You could have them describe a picture they have drawn to you. Or once they tell you about something that happened in their day ask them how it made them feel. By you asking questions, it not only will improve their ability to really communicate with others verbally, but it will allow them to improve on the way they write as well-They will know how to be more detailed/descriptive. As I stated before-Kids have a voice, let them use them!-M&M Momma

Austin Rose!

I found her
asleep like this.
Who needs a bed
when you have the floor?
Lol...

Put her back to
bed & this is how I find her!