Distraction and re-direction are great skills for a parent to have in their parenting tool box. While we may learn to use these naturally with an active toddler—turning him away from trouble by distracting with a toy or a change in activity, as children get older, finding ways to re-direct and distract can get a bit tougher. One of the things I learned over the years is that discussions of popular culture or trivia serve as a fine distracter!
When my children were little I could use songs, poems, a change in activity, all sorts of easy endeavors to re-direct them if they were getting bored, agitated or starting to argue. As they got older, these old “tricks” didn’t work so well. What I did learn, however, was that strange facts, “Did you know?” or discussions about popular culture references did work. I learned to keep track of little statistics I read in the newspapers or strange stories I read on the internet. I never knew when these snippets of trivia would come in handy—getting a conversation started at the dinner table, distracting somebody on a trip to the doctor or while waiting in traffic, for example.
Additionally, inviting kids to share their trivia and information is a great conversation-starter too. You might be surprised how much your kids are picking up or how much they know about specific topics. My eldest daughter has always been scientifically minded and I could re-direct her with questions like, “I wonder why raspberry leaf tea tastes like raspberries too when it is made from the leaves?” She could go on for quite a while trying to figure out why that might be so. Meanwhile, my son loves sports and just asking him what the current rankings in the Pac 10 for college football are can generally get him to let go of something and focus on his knowledge and opinions of college football.
In addition to using trivia as a way to distract and re-direct my kids, I also like to think that it is helping them develop some social and conversational skills. After all, it ought to get them through a networking event or a cocktail party or two!
Also: Take Time to Just Observe
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Building Self-Esteem in Your Children