We took a van trip yesterday with several other people from our church, including two teens who were just great with 9yo Dd.
On the way home, Dd asks one of them, "Why is it that adults don't seem to understand what children say to them sometimes?" Her friend said, "Well, can you give me an example?" And Dd says, "Well, I was talking to this lady during the workshop and she didn't understand me when I said the word 'consistency.' Why is that?"
I thought it was interesting she asked someone closer to herself in age, because she's asked me this before as well. I thought maybe she was looking for a different answer! I've always told her it's because she uses words that adults don't expect to hear from the mouth of a ___ year old (essentially what her friend said.)
Do verbally advanced children get used to this, though? Dd is an only child and we don't dumb down our speech for her, so I'm never surprised by much of what she says. And, she's seldom surprised when friends her age don't understand her vocabulary - but they usually say they don't know what a word means.
But, when instances like she related above happen, it's almost as though the adults either can't hear her, or can't process, what she's said to them - though she has no speech problems or delays. It really stalls conversations AND, more importantly, questions. They sort of stare at her, or ask her to repeat herself, or misunderstand her.
It frustrates her to no end, but she seems at loss what to do. I've suggested restating her sentence and using a synonym, but she gets a bit flustered by the reaction and, it seems, either can't come up with something new or doesn't know what the problem is.
Anyone else have some ideas on this? Or, heck, just some fun stories along these lines, so Dd doesn't feel "alone" on this one? Thanks!
