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| Mitchell pretending to read in my glasses |
"Yes, I said but first we have school, homework and then swim lessons"
"I know Mommy, I just look forward to playing tonight at Justin's. I like his house and his new brother and sister."
This is a conversation between my hot date and I from this morning. Most days I don't even think about his conversation or what level he is on simply because he is mine and I talk to him everyday. But kids today are so precious and full of such promise and knowledge it blows my mind. It is then that I stop and truly think of what or specifically the ramifications of having a child that can communicate well at any age and what it will mean for his future.
I realize that my son is far above most of his minority counterparts in his use, grasp and annunciation of the English language. Some of this is due in part to the fact that he only speaks one language and that is all his brain in processing. I commend parents that are introducing multiple languages to their children...it is a gift that will keep on giving. The other part of this that is important and I will look up statistics on this in a minute is that....my family is a family of talkers and communicators and we rarely choose baby talk to speak to our babies. We work hard to speak in complete sentences and make sure our children understand us. It is evident in my mother and her brother, their children and now those children's children. It is simply not acceptable in our homes to speak anything other than English the way it was intended or French and Spanish.
Now, let me be real for a moment, we all incorporate slang into our conversation but that is used way after we learn the fundamentals of the English language and not as part of the fundamentals.
Now, let me be real for a moment, we all incorporate slang into our conversation but that is used way after we learn the fundamentals of the English language and not as part of the fundamentals.
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| Mitchell explaining his robot to us at school |
So why is this important and how do you get it?
1. Make a commitment to speak well around your children, it is not too late to make changes
2. Correct them when they make a mistake, do it gently but make your point.
3. Be consistent. If you use slang on the ball field don't let that move into your everyday conversations.
4. Be mindful of friends and family an educators that are coming in contact with your child. What is their conversation like? If they see Uncle Joe once a year and his is the slang king, well you can work with that. But if their teacher is the culprit that is a separate issue and should be addressed.
5. communication is the foundation of the business world, where hopefully your children will be one day, prepare them well
6. stats for this topic...http://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2012/ac_12.pdf
6. stats for this topic...http://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2012/ac_12.pdf
These are not absolutes but guides. As parents it is our job to prepare our children for the future. Give them better that what you had, that is what our parents wanted to for us, make them a priority even if this is a new concept to you, the effects are life long and rewarding. Enjoy your children at every stage. Feel free to leave a comments and until our next hot date.
http://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2012/ac_12.pdf
www.focusonthefamily.org
www.parents.com
www.ymcahouston.org
www.christcommunitychurchhouston.org
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