See this kid here.
She is refusing to speak at kindy. This is the second term she’s stayed silent. The speech therapist tells me she made a rule to herself to deal with her anxiety. Now, she’s not anxious anymore she can’t break her rule. You see, she is a very good rule keeper. Just ask her about her rule not to ever eat fruit and vegetables. Drinking them in a smoothie or eating them in ice-cream is fine, but actually “eating” them – NEVER. In other words, she is a little bit of a control freak.
So, as she sang one of her favourite songs she learned at kindy yesterday, I asked if I could tape her and show her teachers. “Sure,” she said with a big smile on her face. Apparently videos aren’t breaking her rule. Heart melted.
I think she is going to be just fine.
I’m hoping once she finds her voice at kindy she may quieten down a little at home.
Do your kids make rules too?
bigwords x
Hi, I'm Bianca Wordley, I write about life.
Love this story. I don’t have kids Bianca but this reminds me of me really, and my younger brother who did not speak for a while at Primary School. Teachers (this was in the 80s) were very, shall we say, encouraging towards my Mum to “get him on some drugs.” She was convinced he was just being a kid and eventually the speech and occupational therapists both said that he was taking everything in and was just a little bored in her class!
Hey Bianca,
Yep my Little Miss 4 loves the rules and everything has to be just so!
“That isn’t how you do it Mum” is a sentence I hear very often.
Don’t fret… she’s just being a ‘selective mute’…a beautiful one at that! She may take quite a while to speak (to staff) at kindy – and even at school, when the time comes. But ‘selective mute’ kids are usually very bright and yes, they do take EVERYTHING in. Let her be. And, by the way, all that silence at kindy has to be compensated for by being extra vocal at home. Sorry about that!
Not sure about rules… Jarvis is only 14 months… but he is the most stubborn little child I have ever known.
Bless her little heart. I think she’s going to be just fine too 🙂 xx
Oh how to make me melt and cry, melt, then cry a little more. She is so precious hun. We know about rules in our house, just not the keeping them part it seems! That beautiful little cherub is going to be just fine, shes just doing things her way xx
Oh, that just brought a tear to my eye! my children have rules; never do what you’re told until mum counts to three, never eat your dinner, always ask for ice cream and lollies, never do what you’re told ….
I had to watch this 5 times cos I love it so much. And yes, my Mr 4 is a rule maker and rule keeper too. Your girls know their minds B…wonder where they get that from? 😉
I taught a gorgeous selective mute girl 2 years ago. I knew I was having a bad day when she said she wanted to go home. She’ll speak when she needs to.
Kate (who still can’t work out how to post comments and can’t be bothered learning. Stubborn much?)
She is gorgeous and so clever to find a way to cope with her anxiety. She’ll get her voice at just the right time. James Earl Jones didn’t speak at school until he went into high school. Look at him now. xxx
My children (both have autism) are big rule makers and keepers. Samuel was essentially mute for an entire year at day care. It was so upsetting, thinking of my poor boy, unable to make himself speak aloud. I remember so well being a bit the same. And then a couple of years ago, when I had my ‘breakdown’ (for want of a better word), I regressed back to it. In fact, even now, when my depression or anxiety are at their worst, the hardest thing is that I stop talking. I can’t seem to break the rule.
She’s just gorgeous. Kids who make rules? I know some things about that. And sticking to them? Amazing strength of character. She’s going to be awesome. Maybe she could just start singing whatever she needs to say at kindy – that’s not breaking her rule, since it’s singing. And she has such a beautiful voice.
She’s adorable, B. My friend was only telling me the other day about a child in her Kindy class who has been a Selective Mute for a while now. It all works out just fine. x