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I hadn't really given the phenomenon much thought. You're essentially saying to the kid: you need to respect the "ideals" of what Dad represents and what a "Dad
by have_faith 5y ago
I hadn't really given the phenomenon much thought. You're essentially saying to the kid: you need to respect the "ideals" of what Dad represents and what a "Dad" in the abstract would expect of you in this situation. Sort of asserting your dominance through an appeal to a concept of an authority figure instead of you as an individual. Why is "I need to sleep now" potentially less effective?
- japanuspus 5y agoNot OP -- but parent of three. The primary reason for using specifics ("dad", <name of child>, <name of sibling>, ...) is that pronouns are one of the last things a child will pick up. Think about how a child will always hear themselves referred to as "you" -- and end up assuming that "you" is like a name form them and start using "you" instead of "I"/"me". In reality, you will be using both specifics and pronouns, and often repeat the same sentence with both versions to teach that they are identical.
- sundvor 5y agoThanks, you explained it perfectly!
- have_faith 5y agoVery interesting perspective, thanks! I have no kids but I'm the oldest of 4 siblings (all boys...).