@annemaxwelllcsw - Sometimes kids become so wrapped up in what they do that it seems as if they have disappeared. Kids can become so involved in doing things. It’s almost as if they were in the book or they become the book, the game, or the movie rather than reading the book, watching the movie, or playing the game.
When parents try to get their attention often times, they are met with silence. To some, It appears as if their child did not even hear them. It would be easy to view this as a sign of disrespect or opposition, but what if it is not? What if the kids are so tuned into what they are doing that their parents voice doesn’t even register with them? Many kids just need some time to disconnect from what they are engaged in specially if it’s fun before they can move on to something that is not so fun like going to school or coming to the dinner table. If we impatiently demand that they leave where they are and come back into this reality now things usually don’t go so well. They don’t want to leave that quickly and they push back hard either by trying to block us out or by exploding and then we get upset. What if the demand could be turned into an invitation or a request. what if the request could be presented in a way that is easier on you, your child and everyone involved? what if you could approach them in a calm and respectful way so that they can hear ?
Sometimes you can get a child’s attention if you simply say ‘Hi’.