I didn't realize three-year olds even knew what it meant to run away. I think it came from a book we read with him. What could possibly bring him to the point of wanting to run away? The listening chart was still pretty new, and our son was working really hard all day long to get his listening points. Suddenly, I came home and, without recognizing how well he did that day, criticized him for picking on his sister. It broke his three-year old heart. He was so distraught that he cried and yelled, "I'm running away!"
It reminds me of the day I came home from work and my wife had slaved all day cleaning the apartment until it was gleaming. But the first thing I commented on was a jacket that had fallen off the hanger in the closet.
It is hard to reverse the impact of criticism given where praise was due.
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