I remember just a few years ago, trying modehockey to have a conversation on the phone with a friend. All I could hear was “BLUE CRAYON MAMA! BLUE CRAYON!” My little one was just 22 months old the lightest stick in the world and excited to have figured out the color blue.
I really wanted to finish the conversation with my friend.
Although interrupting can be perfectly normal behavior for young children it is possible to help children develop patience and polite vikkela.com ways to join a conversation.
Why do children interrupt adults anyways?
Mostly children interrupt to share information they deem interesting or relevant.
Toddlers often interrupt because they are still learning to regulate their impulses. When a toddler has a great thought they want to share it, they don’t think “maybe mama needs to hang up the phone before she can listen to me” It’s more like “BLUE CRAYON! BLUE CRAYON!!!! MAMA—BLUE CRAYON!!!” (HEAR ME, SEE ME, I AM SO EXCITED!!!)
Preschoolers want to show us and feel like they belong. They want to participate in our conversations. For example, when I was discussing the town’s recycling policy changes with a friend her five year old son kept saying “bottles? we have lots of bottles, I like to recycle bottles.”
Children 6 years and beyond might see a different side of an argument, have a different perspective or a great story.
The reason children tend to interrupt us is actually quite simple:
Children interrupt because either they are too young, impulsive OR they don’t have any tools for respectfully interrupting.