In what ways should we be treating children differently from adults?

I find I don’t need to marinate them as long. Seriously, I treat them with more patience. They’re people without a lot of experience, so I cut them more slack.

Well, I shielded my kids from some things. I don’t do that for adults.

Sad about the swimming instructor. She sucks.

I’ve always believed in positive motivation over negative motivation. One of the best coaches I ever watched work was Ben Smith. If the players screwed up he’d let them know, but never by going after them personally. He’d work with them and encourage them, occasionally getting firm if it was needed.

There isn’t much difference anymore, short of still needing to guide and discipline. Kids listen to the same music as their parents, wear the same style clothing, watch the same TV programs, there are virtually no rights of passage anymore. Kinda sad IMO.

Well, first of all, you should not priest them.

I say it varies from kid to kid and from adult to adult. It sucks that an instructor would belittle a child but I don’t know what was said and I also don’t know how the kid took it. From the time my son was little, he had a hard time accepting positive reinforcement. He thought it patronizing because they didn’t believe in his abilities.

When I was tough or his teachers where tough he worked hard to live up to what we knew he was capable. If he had a soft teacher, his grades would suffer. He would say to me that his teacher thinks he is stupid. When I would ask why he would say that. He said the teacher would say it was ok to do a mistake and that he could take his time if he needed more time. Even if the teacher said they believed in his ability. He felt like they were treating him like he was mentally incapable. Some kids respond to the tough love. Some adults do too.

Especially if they have a problem interpreting motives. Sometimes my son even thought that it was just a teacher going through the motions and not caring what he learned. What some may see as belittling some see as passion. There is a fine line between passion and just being a butt though.

Imperative to not treat them as “mini adults” allow them their childhood for as long as it takes.
Then watch them flourish.

Personally, I think nerdiness should be both encouraged and cultivated in children. Sure, they may get picked on a little but everyone knows that nerds rule the real world. They’ll end up getting fantastic, high paying jobs! Jocks don’t create businesses and run fortune 500 companies.

I think we need to remember that for children what we perceive as a little problem for them is huge. Their perspective of life and the world is a small short space.

I think adults should also be aware of the stages kids go through. I’ve been around a little girl who is almost two a lot lately and she does the typical thing of showing me something, running off, coming back with another thing, running off. She also likes to repeat the exact same behavior ten times. I beat her to it and tell her “again” sometimes before she tells me. Be in their stage of development with them I say. Make time for where they are at mentally and emotionally.

Get down on their level literally. Don’t always be towering over them. Sit down or kneel down.

Remember that children can’t express themselves as well as adults and really try to listen, and paraphrase what they say.

Thanks, GAs!

Your post reminds me of when my daughter and I were taking her 10 year old to camp. We just had a helluva hard time finding. We drove around for an hour in what we knew what the general vicinity, turned around 50 times. Of course, we did eventually find it.
When we did, my Granddaughter said, “Oh, I was so scared we wouldn’t be able to find it.”
It was then that I realized that for the last half hour she’d been very, very quiet. Because she was so worried. :(

I’m not sure I understand why that made you think of my question. Because one thing we should keep in mind is children’s different perspective, as @JLeslie said? :)

Because of what @JLeslie said: “I think we need to remember that for children what we perceive as a little problem for them is huge. Their perspective of life and the world is a small short space.”

My daughter and I knew we would find it eventually. My grand daughter didn’t, and she sat in worried silence for 30 minutes and we didn’t realize it.

^ Ah. Yes, now I get it!