Play Deprivation Is a Major Cause of the Teen Mental Health Crisis

Re:Play Deprivation Is a Major Cause of the Teen Mental Heal... by bcrosby95 on Friday July 28, 2023 @06:26PM (#36914196)

> Flat statements like “that’s rude” or “that was very kind” can be very powerful.

Labels without understanding is kinda pointless. My friend's 5 year old has translated 'rude' to mean 'something I don't like'. Whenever he gets a timeout he calls his parents rude. It's actually pretty hilarious.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Play Deprivation Is a Major Cause of the Teen Mental Heal... by smogcutter on Saturday July 29, 2023 @07:38PM (#36925998)

I mean yeah, real life is more complicated than an HN post, and that comment was mostly aimed at kids around 10-14 who are going through this particularly tumultuous, socially exploratory period. (As an aside, learning & applying rules without understanding sounds very developmentally appropriate for a 5 year old).

What I’m really getting at is that we don’t always point out to other adults when they’re being rude, and when we do, our goal isn’t to teach them that they’re being an ass. With kids and teens, it’s worth taking a conscious effort to reframe these kinds of interactions.

Specific language choices are also very important - eg always “that’s rude” and never “you’re rude”.

[ Parent | on HN ]