One day, I saw a little 4 years old girl hitting another girl who was only 2 years old with a book happily. That little girl didn’t cry, but she laughed when she was being hit. Curious; I went over and talked to her.

Primitive: Why are you hitting her head?
Little girl: We’re just playing.
Primitive: Do you know that she might get hurt if you hit her too hard?
Little girl: I don’t think so, she’s laughing. She doesn’t even feel any pain.
Primitive: She’s laughing because she wanted to play with you too. But she’s too small and she doesn’t know that she could get hurt. Her head will hurt. You must protect her.
Little girl: Really? But I don’t want to listen to you. I want to continue hitting her.
Primitive: Then let me ask you a question. Do you like your mommy?
Little girl: Yes, I like mommy.
Primitive: Then would you listen to your mommy?
Little girl: Yes.
Primitive: Right, then do you think mommy will let you continue if she sees this?
Little girl: Er…. No…
Primitive: Then that’s right. Your mommy does everything for your own good. So, you must listen to her where ever you are. You must remember what your mommy says. You’re very clever. So, you know that this is not good to your little sister, don’t you?
Little girl: (Nodding)
Primitive: Then why don’t you go play some other thing that is not harmful?
Little girl: Ok! Follow me! Why don’t you chase me, little sister? Then I’ll run!
Little sister: Ok! Hehe!

After that, they held each other’s hands and went to look for mommy. Children below the age of 5 can’t judge what’s right or wrong. But when you see them doing something wrong, you don’t have to be furious or yell at them. This will only scare them, and things might even turn the other way round. However, if we treat them with understanding and slowly explain the situation to them, they will easily understand.

From the beginning, she refused to listen to me because I wasn’t even close to her. Actually I didn’t know her mother either, but I knew that the child would listen to her mother. But I didn’t want her to know that I was using her mother as the reason. So I thought for a while, and told her “your mother does everything for your own good”. Lastly I told her “I know that you’re very clever, and you know what to do” in a way to let her feel that she was trusted. I was just giving suggestions; she was the one who made the decision. I didn’t even say “Don’t hit your little sister’s head!”.

My motive was to enlighten her, not to just stop her temporarily. And so, I was just talking to her in a form of question and answer.

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Primitive.

Labels: k. little angel dialogue