A Philosopher Explains The Meaning Of Life To A Baby, And His Reaction Will Melt Your Heart

Sep 20, 2018 by apost team

Jason Silvia has a huge following on his YouTube channel. He has been called many things- a “performance philosopher” and an “idea DJ” being just two of them. He recently posted a video of something quite different that is making a stir around the internet.

You can watch the video below and see exactly what Jason was up to:

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You can see the young child didn’t understand what Jason was saying. However, the baby was very absorbed in the words and facial expressions coming from him. You can see that he is totally interested and invested in what he was saying, even if the words meaning nothing to him at this very young age.

That is because Jason was talking to the baby like an adult. There are many reasons why this is a good idea, which we are about to discuss.

7 Reasons Why You Should Always Talk To Your Child Like An Adult

When we talk to our kids, we are teaching them vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and more. You don’t have to be an educated English professor to speak to your kids. You just need to talk to them using real language and words, not just silly sounds that do not mean anything. Their young minds are more powerful than many of us believe when it comes to learning a language, so they will take your words and learn from them.

We don’t like to be talked to like a child as adults, right? We say it is patronizing to talk down to us like we don’t understand. Kids don’t wish to be patronized, either. Yes, a child needs to be taught things and guided every day, but that does not mean we have to talk down to them when we do it. They may not know what is going on around them as well as us, but they are still intelligent people who can learn from what we tell them. We should always explain what is going on and answer all of their questions with patience and kindness, as we would with an adult.

Kids have to pick up the thousands of sounds and linguistics of their native language. They need the adults in their lives to speak to them in real words, not “goo gaa gaa” nonsense that doesn’t tell them anything about their language.

Kids are already smaller versions of adults. They cannot physically do most of the things adults can do. They can’t make most of the own decisions and are constantly reminded that they cannot 100% participate in what they want, whenever they want. This sets them up for meltdowns and tantrums to begin with, so when adults speak down to them, it only makes life more frustrating, as they cannot do anything about it.

If a child hears a half-hearted “Are you okay?” after they fall, it doesn’t help them solve the problem as to why they fell. Instead, say full sentences such as, “Are you hurt? I saw you trip over that toy; it looked painful. We have to remember to pay attention to where we are walking.”

This helps them figure out that there are consequences to their actions and how they can prevent and solve these problems. They need guidance and help every day of their lives, and we are there to give it to them.

If the child is having a personal conflict, such as a melt-down because another child is playing with the toy they really wanted, speaking to them like an adult will help them understand their feelings. Don’t just tell them to share- explain why it is important to share toys instead.

Your child needs to learn how to speak properly and clearly. You are there with them, probably more than anyone, so talking to them like an adult will give them the practice they need to learn. You’ll be amazed at how quickly even a young child will understand the sentences you say to them. They may not be able to respond the right way earlier on, but babies often understand what we ask them to do when we constantly speak to them as adults. Practice makes perfect, even for babies.

Do you have any more suggestions for us? Don’t be shy - leave them in the comments! Then, pass this along to family and friends!