What’s the most common word that you use in your home???

Some may say "F*ck" or “Sh*t” and I am not denying that doesn’t slip out every once in awhile in my home, but my kids know the word “Hmmm” as I say it ALL the time. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There’s a lot reasons to say the word "hmmm…" For one, it slows you down. In a world that is so fast paced not only do kids need to slow down, but parents need to slow down too. Parents are on the go, needing to get things done and often don’t understand that kids don’t get the concept of needing to rush. Thus, confusion and frustration in the child and in the parent occur. I will bet you that if you slowed down and allowed your child to process what they are thinking and give them a few extra minutes that it would avoid the 10 or 20 minute battle that may occur. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I often hear that my tips are great in theory but parents don’t know how to execute them. Slowing down is a part of that. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The next thing the word "Hmmm" does is it makes the child think why aren’t you yelling at me? Why are you so curious? Why aren’t you reacting to me? If you follow it up with a narration of their feelings, you will often get a response from your child such as “yeah, I am mad.” This simple validation goes a long way in helping to build trust between you and your child that leads to a mutual respect that you will inevitably need when they are a teenager. This lays the foundation as this shows your child that you are really truly listening to them and not dismissing their feelings.
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