Monday, June 17, 2002
Making Things Fun
Elyon was giving 4-year-old Maya a bath. It was time to wash her hair and she was at a moment in her life when there was a profound disconnect between "want to" and "have to." She screamed when he poured a container full of water on her head and knocked it out of his hand. Fortunately, there were many containers afloat in the waters of her misery and El could retrieve faster than she could defend. So he made it fun. And Maya started laughing. And her hair got washed.
This is a remarkably useful strategy for getting kids to do what you want them to do, this making things fun.
It works almost as well when you have to get yourself to do what you have to do.
Elyon was giving 4-year-old Maya a bath. It was time to wash her hair and she was at a moment in her life when there was a profound disconnect between "want to" and "have to." She screamed when he poured a container full of water on her head and knocked it out of his hand. Fortunately, there were many containers afloat in the waters of her misery and El could retrieve faster than she could defend. So he made it fun. And Maya started laughing. And her hair got washed.
This is a remarkably useful strategy for getting kids to do what you want them to do, this making things fun.
It works almost as well when you have to get yourself to do what you have to do.
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