What Goes In Must Come Out (eventually!)
I’m 49 years old and I know every word to the Dora the Explorer theme song. If my loaded brain is capable of absorbing and retaining this senseless tune, imagine what’s inserting itself into the filing cabinet of my 2 year old niece’s brain.
Since I’ve been spending quite a lot of time with my niece and her younger brother, I remember how convenient the television can be when you’re home with the kids. I find myself using it for one of two reasons: I’ve exhausted my own resources for entertaining them (and I need a break) or I’ve got something else to do and need to keep them busy.
Every time I resort to the television I relinquish my control over their cognitive acquisition process. It’s not the end of the world, but as a caretaker of young minds, it’s my responsibility to pay attention to what they are taking in.
Words and images enter their mental library constantly. When these materials are repeated on a regular basis they become part of their reference files. It shouldn’t be a big surprise when they access one of these files. The first time that I heard Cara use the expression “dammit”, especially in its appropriate context, I was reminded of just how efficiently this system works. Way to go, Aunt Jillian.
Whether she gets it from me or the television is not the point. The point is that she is in the process of building her own personal reference library, so why not supplement it with healthy materials?
Here’s an easy one to try: The next time your child accomplishes something, instead of saying “I am so proud of you” change the words to “Wow, I bet YOU are so proud of YOURSELF.” It’s just a small tweak, but one that could make the difference in a child who grows up to value self-approval before always having to seek the approval of others first.
I used this technique with my own kids, who are now confident young adults; so you might say it works like magic. Then again, there’s always “Dora, dora, dora the explorer….”
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