Dear parents, know the importance of words!

Over the ages, we have known Indian parents to use a number of “scare tactics” to handle children; ranging from threats of ghosts and kidnappers to prestigious professions like police and doctors. Sadly, the parents do not realize that they are children in their primary/core learning and growing phase, which means, children imbibe, assimilate and base their reactions on whatever parents/elders/guardians tell them. Unknown to them, the parents tend to push their fears into the child thus bringing the child up with a subconscious fear of even the positive professions.

In a health setting, this subconscious fear develops into an absolute scare when the child is asked to meet a doctor. Unknown to the parents, who keep insisting that ‘nothing will happen’ or ‘don’t be scared’ to losing their temper on the child for ‘misbehaving’, the fear of the doctor was instilled when they introduce a naughty child to a doctor and teasingly, to control the child, tell them that the doctor would give them injection. The child may not know what an injection is, but is already scared of the word. Later, as the child grows and sees images of a syringe, the fear automatically strengthens.

Positive words incorporated into daily usage go a long way in reducing the fears in a child and encouragement helps them to be fearless. A visit to a doctor’s office doesn’t have to be a tedious process. Instead, the next time someone says, ‘Doctor will give injection’, parents can say, the doctor will see the problem and give you medicine (or candy) that will make you better. Parents have to be very conscious with regard to the words spoken around their child.