Recently, we came across a quote: “The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice“. This made us think twice about the language we use with our baby daughter. This happens especially because she is at the point when she starts to understand and express herself through words. That is why we began to read more about it. We found out that it is a quote from Peggy OโMaraโsย Natural Family Living: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Parentingย – a book about attachment parenting which we bought, read and found very useful. Peggy OโMara was the Editor and Publisher of Mothering Magazine from 1980 to 2011. In 1995 she founded mothering.com and was its editor-in-chief until 2012. Although O’Mara is not a RIE author, she has a valid point regarding the parentsโ language and attitude regarding the actions of their children. She puts an accent on natural, healthy family environment. She covers many areas, from a conscientious pregnancy, natural birth and breastfeeding to family matters, health care, sexuality or home schooling. Although we did not embraced all of her ideas and parenting methods, her book was worth reading.
But, more about the language…
We will definitely guide ourselves, as parents, on her quote about the way we talk to our children. Why? Because:
- We donโt want to voluntarily/involuntarily say regrettable words to our children. They will put a mark on her personality and mental development.
- We wouldn’t want to label our daughter (ex. ‘Youโre stupid!’, ‘You look ugly!‘, ‘You are a bad girl!‘ etc.), but her actions. If she does something bad, we are not proud of, we should analyze and judge (together) her actions and behavior, never her personality.
- We donโt want to yell at our baby because it is, in fact, a form of emotional abuse that doesnโt model her behavior but reduces trust and breeds inhibition (this subject screams for its own article!).
- We donโt want to praise our daughter or her every single achievement, as it is an easy way to constantly make her search for somebody elseโs approval in every action she takes.
- We donโt want to say NO, but if we do weโll motivate it (ex. โCan I play with this?โ, โNo, you canโt, because it is sharp and you could get hurt. Letโs find something else as exciting as that to play with!โ)
All in all, language plays a fundamental role in our childโs development. We should choose our words carefully, with ease (in time).ย The more we practice a healthy language and attitude with our kids, the easier it is going to be for us to get over difficult situations in a peaceful, encouraging, and constructive manner and for them to develop a loving and confident inner voice.
