"Next to the big old park, not the first street, the other street!"

Yesterday I had a session with a young child - our first session together. Due to confidentiality, I cannot disclose any details about the child, so I will alter some details for the purposes of this post.

Let’s call the child Anne, and say that Anne is approximately 7 years old.

In this first session, I typically introduce myself to the child, explain in age-appropriate ways how we can work together, how I can help them, and how confidentiality works.

As me and Anne were talking, I could tell she was still feeling hesitant about our interaction, and the purpose of our time together. Through a few games and chats, we found some similarities between us: our birthdays were a few days apart, we both have a sister, and we both enjoy doing puzzles.

During the conversation, Anne pointed out that “Ms Theodora! You are famous!” in an enthusiastic voice! Of course I was intrigued, as how does a 7 year-old think I am famous? Her answer was this: “You are on a poster, wearing red lipstick and sunglasses!”. This was not me, however I gave in to the conversation, and asked further information, when she said I “absolutely have to go and find my poster!”. So I asked where it is, and she said the following description, which ultimately changed our whole session:

It is next to the big park, not the new one, the old one. Not on that street, on the other street! You should write it down to remember it!

I did what I was told in an enthusiastic manner - I am now looking for my famous poster afterall! She had now completely given in to our time together! I accepted and was excited about something that Anne thought was so important to share, and I even wrote it down! I explicitly showed her that what she had to say was very real, I accepted it and acknowledged it!

To a 7 year-old, who can be often disregarded in her stories, or corrected based on adult views on the world, having me believe and show excitement to her story was ideal! In that moment, I won her over, and she willingly shared more private information that I expected I would need time to earn her trust for.

Entering a child’s world, completely without judgement can give very positive results, and build a closer relationship! I wonder if you have ever given in to your child’s stories, and what the outcome was? I also wonder if any of you would be willing to try it next time your child is talking about something super exciting to them! Feel free to share about it in the comment section, or share the post to encourage more parents to do so!