Helping Them Find Their Voice

Encouraging your kids to share their own preferences and opinions speaks volumes.

- MARISA LASCALA

I have a clear memory of taking my daughter to one of her welltoddler visits at the doctor's office.

During a routine check-in about developmental milestones, the pediatrician asked me how many words my daughter knew. "I think she knows around 150 words," I said proudly. The doctor shot me a questioning look. It was only then that I realized she hadn't made a peep the whole time I had been doing all the talking. I felt like the mom of Michigan J. Frog, the Looney Tunes character who sang only when no one was watching.

Not that a toddler should be expected to carry on long conversations at the pediatrician's office, but my tendency to speak up for my daughter has extended into her elementary school years. And while I think I'm helping-making doctor's appointments go more smoothly, for example, or telling a server her order at a restaurant for efficiency's sake- I could be hurting her in the long run.

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