“Constantly yelling ‘stop’ is detrimental for the baby. It can cause them to become desensitized to the word. Instead of merely saying ‘stop’, take the time to explain to her the reasons behind your instructions. Regularly providing explanations can help develop her logic and reasoning skills. If all she hears is the word ‘stop’, she may begin to tune it out. This can lead to increased frustration for you, resulting in an escalation in volume and frequency of your commands.”
By Anthony McBorrough
The idea behind the statement is grounded in developmental psychology and early childhood education, which emphasize the importance of explaining things to children to foster their cognitive development and reasoning skills. The more we engage with children in meaningful communication, the more they learn.
However, the text you provided, while having a valid underlying message, does make a few overgeneralizations. Let’s rephrase it with a bit more nuance and depth:
“Consistently shouting ‘stop’ at a baby can have unintended consequences. Over time, a child might become desensitized to the word if it’s overused without context or explanation. From a developmental perspective, babies and toddlers are in a critical phase of cognitive growth. They are constantly trying to understand the world around them, and simple commands without context can be confusing.
By taking a moment to explain the reasons behind our instructions, we are doing more than just guiding their immediate actions; we are teaching them to think critically and fostering their problem-solving skills. For instance, instead of just saying ‘stop’ when a child is about to touch something potentially dangerous, it would be more effective to say, ‘Don’t touch that; it’s hot and can hurt you.’ Such explanations not only make the directive clear but also help children begin to understand cause and effect.
If a child hears the word ‘stop’ repeatedly without understanding the reasons, they might start to ignore it. This could lead to caregivers feeling the need to raise their voice or repeat themselves more frequently, creating a cycle of frustration for both the child and the adult.”
