They do understand….
I went to the grocery with my son and we weren’t lucky enough to avail of the free go-carts immediately. One go cart, however, was occupied by a kid who simply doesn’t want to leave the grocery. His parents are getting impatient and have started scolding, but he hung on to the inside part of the cart like a leech.
I approached the mom and asked if we can borrow the cart. The mom said “my son won’t let go of it, we’ve been here for 30 minutes now.” She even told her son, “See? People need this cart now, so get out of it so we can go home.”
I went down on my knees so that I could look the very stubborn 2-year-old in the eye and implored sincerely, “Hello. Please lend us this cart. Have mercy on my son, he doesn’t have anything to ride on while we’re shopping. Please?”
He looked directly at me and then at my son, after which, he miraculously stood up and offered the cart to my baby boy. I was pleasantly surprised at the gesture. His parents were equally shocked. Then his dad exclaimed, “So children really do understand things even when they couldn’t talk yet.”
And he’s right.
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January 28th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Marvelous negotiation skills… I will look to you for inspiration when dealing with children. My blog is out of California, and hope to see your country again…
January 29th, 2008 at 12:57 am
@Keith
Thanks! I was sort of desperate at that point but Im glad it worked
January 29th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
It’s always amazing how well children can understand. And by setting that wonderful example, hopefully you’ve set in motion something that those parents will learn - a new technique.
January 31st, 2008 at 6:08 pm
@linda
i ooked straight at him and he looked straight at me, for a while I got the vibe that I’m actually talking to a much older person. Like he’s demanding ‘what?!?’ then when i pointed at my son and started begging, I literally saw his eyes soften… he understood!!!