My daughter and I have entered the wonderful "communication gap" phase, as I have titled it. She is a year old, and definitely knows what she wants! The problem comes when she tries to communicate that to me. There is a gap. And that gap exists when I try to communicate to her as well. Don't get me wrong, MOST of the time, we understand eachother, a benefit of being an at-home mommy (thanks to my personal business). There are times, though, when we cannot seem to get our message across to the other, and one or both of us ends up frustrated and (once in a while) in tears.
It is in these times that I remind myself of a few things:
1) My SMART daughter DOES understand more than I realize
2) When my daughter does not understand my message, it is not her fault. She is still learning
3) This too shall pass
The rough patches do not last forever, this is a phase. The more I work on teaching her sign language and hand signals for words, the sooner we will understand eachother that much better. Don't get frustrated, take a deep breath, hug my daughter, and keep going.
Make today FABULOUS!
Laura, have you considered teaching her some sign language? They can sign words that they can't physiologically speak yet. I know you said you it's mostly not an issue, but it's AMAZING how much of the communication gap sign can bridge!!! It helped us avoid so many communication-based tears and tantrums. I can tell you what I started with and what signs I did with my kids if you're interested. :)
ReplyDeleteKarise
yes, actually she knows 2 signs: Please and All Done (I made that one up). My sister got me a great dvd/flashcard set which I have simply dropped the ball on using with her. BUT I got it back out to start trying to use with her. :) I would love some help with a few signs!
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