Don't Talk Baby Talk

"The limits of my language means the limits of my world".
Wittgenstein

Some theorists advocate speaking baby talk to the wee ones, but I disagree. Using real language helps the little ones assimilate vocabulary so that it becomes second nature.

Having an adequate vocabulary has more benefits than just being able to insult one's enemies without their knowing it! I would say it even equates with overall success, and for many people goes hand in hand with an improved education to raise them up from poverty.

Our ideas are only given expression through our vocabularies. Imagine Mozart without a piano. What the world would have missed! A human without an adequate vocabulary is the same. He may never know what ideas are inside him without adequate words to express himself, and what a world he will miss!

If you have a teenager, you might think your spelling bees and vocabulary tests are over, but that is not true. Success on the ACT, PSAT, SAT, and EOI tests are important to both of you. A good ACT or PSAT/SAT score could help you save your hard earned cash when your child gets a great scholarship. And, soon students will have to pass EOI tests in English to get a high school diploma.
But, there is another side to baby talk, one that almost every parent is guilty of using toward a child throughout his/her life. It's so easy to speak condescendingly toward a young person, to address him/her as an idiot, a baby.

I know sometimes a teen puts him or herself in a position in which it is ridiculously easy to retort, "If you're going to act like a baby, I'm going to treat you like a baby." But, what we want to try to steer clear of is instruction in a patronizing tone, as if we were indeed speaking to a baby. We all know how that feels coming from a boss, spouse, or parent. It makes us feel small and stupid.

We can try reframing what we say more as a statement or matter of fact. We can ask our teen his/her opinion on the matter at hand, rather than telling them what they believe. Kids have an enormous amount of precognition or information they have gleened from watching us (or tv/movies). They have observed us with studied care and need only a little honing to fine tune their skills. We don't have to be perfect, but trying to be aware of our tone can better help us continue to educate our children into their teen years. Not talking baby talk all the way around helps keep the lines of communication open for everyone.