Children are smart. Smarter than you think they are. So when we term them shy or even think that they are, we push them into their comfort zone where they happily do whatever they want, which is not a bad state to be in per se.
Imagine this-
You are planning a new strategy for your next business meeting and your mother comes asking what you had for lunch and wont leave till you have answered and then demands that you tell everyone in the house what you had for lunch and then every time a new person comes in the house you tell him what you had for lunch and this continues till you are fed up of having lunch at all!
Yes, exactly this is what happens in the mind of an 8 year old when she is asked to SPEAK. Many don’t want to! I didn’t want to, when I was growing up.
It was extremely stupid to answer questions like,WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE SUBJECT? Sorry I hate studies. WHICH SCHOOL? CLASS? Please don’t talk about school. again! WHAT WILL YOU BECOME WHEN YOU GROW UP? Yeah right! Did you know that answer at 8? And the worst of all-WON’T YOU SAY THANK YOU? Is that why he got me the gift?
Children are smart and don’t want to answer questions which don’t challenge them, interest them or intend to find beyond their age, school or class. They want to answer questions only they can answer, not the mother, not the father and definitely not the over enthusiastic aunt. Ask intelligent questions. Engage them in real and intelligent conversations.
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