By LaToya Dawkins

It has been a long day at work and your preschooler wants to have pancakes the next morning. They are jumping up and down and pulling on your shirt tail, saying, “Can I please have pancakes in the morning.” They don’t feel “Sure,” is an acceptable answer. Then you say, “Yes, I promise.” When the next morning comes, you are too exhausted to peel yourself out of the bed. There were no pancakes. You give your preschooler a simple apology, explain how sick you are, and then assure them that they will have pancakes the next day. In this scenario, the broken promise seems permissible because you were sick. However, a few more broken promises like these will eventually mislead your preschooler into thinking that keeping their word is not important.

As I child, I grew up believing that If I was told something, it was going to happen. I was not aware of circumstances or situations wherein, what I was told, may not happen. This is one of the things that allow our preschoolers and children to view us as superheroes, for most of their adolescence, because we can make anything happen. Most of our intentions are innocent and we truly do not intend to not follow through on the things that we say but unexpected things do happen. However, there are times when our schedules are too busy, our days are too long and we make unrealistic promises to our preschoolers.

“Mean what you say and say what you mean.” This is a common phrase that my mother used to say to me. It reminds me to be direct and realistic when I speak. It is an important concept to remember when we are dealing with others. Giving as much detail as possible, always works better with preschoolers. If you walk past the zoo and say to your preschooler, “I am going to take you there.” Initially, they will be happy. However, if you walk past that zoo again and you have not taken them there, they will ask you when they are going and remind you that you said you would take them there. It is always best to give a time frame. For example, “After your baby sister begins to crawl, I will take you to the zoo.” It gives the preschooler something to rely on. Then it is your responsibility to keep your word.

We must always set a good example for our preschoolers. They watch us and learn how to operate through life by the life we live before them. In my classroom, I constantly remind my children of the things that they say. It is a great discipline tool. For example, before we go to the park, I may remind one of my students about climbing up the slide and they will tell me that they will not climb up the slide. Once we get to the park and I see them climbing, I will remind them of the conversation we had before we left the school. More than likely, they will not climb up the slide again. We must teach our preschoolers the value of their words. One day, many people, including their boss, spouse, and children, will depend on their promises.