Quote:
Originally Posted by Clodfobble
Then you would be like my husband, whose children are constantly frustrated when he deliberately misinterprets what they mean rather than just explaining what they should have said.
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I like his method.
Compare it to, say, seeing dirty clothes on the floor*, close to the laundry chute. I *know* what was meant, the clothes are meant to go in the chute. But I *choose* to "deliberately misinterpret* the child's action, drawing attention to it, and having them fix it. My hope is not to frustrate them for sport, but to get them to correct it themselves.
Frustrating them gives them something to move away from. It's a tiny stick to complement the tiny carrot of doing it right the first time.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
* used dishes in the sink next to the empty dishwasher is another common and apt comparison.