{"id":7066706,"date":"2026-09-25T15:05:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T15:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/why-children-dont-seem-to-listen-and-what-to-say-instead\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T15:05:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T15:05:50","slug":"why-children-dont-seem-to-listen-and-what-to-say-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7066706","title":{"rendered":"Why Children Don’t Seem to Listen (and What to Say Instead)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Words Aren\u2019t Always Instructions<\/h2>\n

I was walking my dog past our local nursery when a couple of children aged about three came racing round the corner of the building.<\/p>\n

They saw us, got very excited, and each grabbed a handful of gravel and threw it onto the pavement in front of us. They weren\u2019t aiming at us, just thrilled to have an audience.<\/p>\n

This was spotted by the nursery assistant, who called out, \u201cIf you throw stones, you\u2019ll hit the dog!\u201d<\/p>\n

Two seconds later, another handful of gravel. You could see the disbelief on her face.<\/p>\n

My dog and I walked on unscathed, but I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about it.<\/p>\n

What she meant was, \u201cDon\u2019t throw stones; you might hurt the dog.\u201d What she said was a statement of fact. Her tone was a warning, but the words were only information, and to a three-year-old, information isn\u2019t an instruction.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to be certain we\u2019ve said one thing when we\u2019ve actually said another.<\/strong> I\u2019ve done the same, many times.<\/p>\n

Be clear in what you say (as well as how)<\/h3>\n

Small children take words at face value. They\u2019re still learning how language works, so \u201cDo you want to put your shoes on?\u201d sounds like a genuine question, and \u201cYou\u2019ll get wet\u201d sounds like a weather report.<\/p>\n

A few swaps that help:<\/p>\n