There's a lot of funny stuff that goes around facebook, but there's also some annoying stuff and I'm annoyed by this photo which was shared on my newsfeed today.

I think I get what this person is trying to say. He wants to see better behaved children. He has probably seen kiddies screaming for lollipops in supermarkets until parents give in and buy them. And fair enough, no one enjoys a tantrum, nor is it wise for anyone to get sugar just because they cry.

What's annoying is that there's an assumption that good behaviour = education. And that both of these are achieved simply by the use of the word 'no'.

A dear friend of mine grew up with parents who said nothing but 'no' to her. She is a lovely girl, but they were NOT good parents and they've left her with a lot of heartache and pain.

'Better kids' and educated kids are kids who have had these things said to them, over and over again, all their life:

"Wow, that's interesting. What are you doing? Can I join in?"

"It looks like you feel sad. Is there something that you are sad about?"

"Yes! Why not! Let's do it together!"

"We can't do it today, but I wonder if there's another time we could do it? What do you think?"

"I really love you."

"You've been working really hard on that. I can see you care about it a lot."

"What do you think will happen if you do that?"

"Let's see if we can both find a solution to that problem."

"I enjoy your company."

"Wow! We both just learned something. Let's tell someone else about it."

"What are you thinking?"

"Do you want to do it with me?"

"Let's read a story together."

"I like it when you help me."

 

What else would you say to your child?