Children and the learning process

Parents tend to use words that are not understandable to small children, an example is presented here.

" Mommy and the Coffee Table Lessons"
A little preschooler was affectionately called "Baby", even though she was close to entering pre-school. Nonetheless, Baby did not mind at all, she loved everything about her mommy, a soft spoken warm ,loving and always smiling women." Baby, come give mommy a hug", was heard each and every day. Mommy always made a practice of calling  Baby to the little wood coffee table in the living room, the coffee table had a glass top with lots of pictures under it, which were visible at all times. Mommy would ask Baby, "now do you remember who this is"? This practice occurred every Sunday, and in case Baby forgot what mommy had told her, mommy would gently remind her. This is your mother and  father, your cousin and so on.

Baby was so eager to please mommy, but being the young child that she was, Baby sometimes forgot who was who on the glass top coffee table.This was a parents method as to teaching a child something that would be vitally important.
An occasion presented itself where most of the family would be together with mommy and Baby among them. All the little children and mommies and daddies alike.There was one slightly older child that was hanging around Baby, when something went terribly wrong. The young child blurted out to Baby, " she is not your mommy! Baby's eyes glared back at the older child as though she had been slapped and she started crying as though she had been, Everyone started to gather around including mommy and heard Baby telling the other child "she is so my mommy", and to stop saying those bad things.

It was obvious that Baby did not understand the word mother used in her coffee table lessons. We as parents must explain things to children in a term or in terms that they understand in order for our parenting methods to be effective.