Taking our time!

"I need two oranges to make your juice"

It is 6:30am on a Monday morning. We are walking into the kitchen in order to have breakfast before heading off to school.

Nick immediately goes to the small CD player and turns on his music. Katy Perry is singing 'Roar', as she always does whenever Nick turns on the CD. Should she not be on the play list, Nick searches until he hears her voice. All I can say is, thank goodness he is over his Britney phase!

I potter around the kitchen, giving Nick time to respond to my initial comment, ("I need two oranges to make your juice").

I get sidetracked as I make myself a cup of tea (weak, black and no sugar). I turn to look at Nick who is doing a little jiggle, dancing along to Katy. As I start to say, "hmmm, I wonder if Nick has remembered the oranges"... I turn towards the juicer and notice that the oranges are already there, just waiting for me!

Big grin ~ there is NOTHING like the power of the pause!

I collect the carving knife and go to stand near the bench on which the juicer sits. I wait. Nick is absorbed in his music. I clear my throat.

Nick looks to me...... so I hold up an orange for him to see. I wait.

He realises that he has a role to play and comes to join me.

I cut the oranges into halves and then pause. Nick picks up one half and places it onto the juicer and holds it there. A few months back he was too scared to go near the juicer.

I  love the concept, *edge plus one*. I take Nick to the edge of his competence and then another tiny challenging step. Slowly but surely he is making progress.

Together we finish squeezing the oranges. With a puzzled expression on my face, I look around for the glass. Nick follows my eye gaze from the juicer to the bench. He realises what is missing and goes to collect a glass from the cupboard.

Oh the joy of my child referencing my face and body language for information.

"Nice one, Nick. We made the orange juice together and you realised that we needed a glass"


Note to self:

Use language that invites a response.

Pause and wait... and then wait some more.

Always keep in mind the concept, *edge plus one*.

Stop talking so much; also communicate using facial expressions and body language.

Give my child many opportunities to *think for himself*

Spotlight success.

~*~

This weekend, for the very first time, Nick asked me to take him to the end of the jetty. Huge!