Wait
Waiting is a powerful tool. It gives you time to observe what your child is
interested in. Even more importantly, it gives your child time to start an
interaction or respond to what you’ve said or done. In this book, wait
means three things: stop talking, lean forward and look at your child
expectantly. Your child may be used
to everyone else doing the communicating.
Waiting in this way
will send her the message that
you’re ready for her to respond
to you or, better still, to take the
lead herself. Once your child
does one of these things, it’s
important for you to respond to
her immediately. (You’ll learn
more about how to do this in
Chapter 3.)
If you need to remind yourself
to wait, count slowly to 10 —
silently, of course. At first, you
may not be used to that much
silence. Your child may not be
used to it either. But be patient
and don’t rush to say something.
It may take some time
for her to communicate with
you. If your child switches from
one activity to another, wait
again. Give her a chance to get involved in the new activity. Then give
her still more time to start an interaction.