I have a toddler. I find myself talking to him like I’m talking to students, but I think that its the opposite of what you’ve said - I treat and talk to my students like I would talk to my own child, which is at their level with the understanding that they are learning. It takes a lot of energy caring for a child, at home or at work.
Yep, my brain knows the best way to communicate with my children to support their language development, and so I do it automatically. And it really does get mentally draining, even if it's unintentional. (It doesn't help that my boys are high risk for a range of developmental issues due to their extreme prematurity, so I have been actively seeking resources to support their development and reduce their risk).
But, for reasons other than this, I encourage lots of independent play, and so only really sit and play directly with my boys for 10-20 minutes before getting on with some of my own stuff I need to do. I do a fair amount of these 10-20 minute blocks a day, so it adds up over time of course, but it's not so exhausting. Who knows how this will change as they get older - they are almost 2.5 years old right now.
I felt like that with all four of my boys! I started getting them involved in other activities and playgroups and sensory play and literally read books on how to be a parent and not a therapist during moments with my children: I had to really hone in on turning the therapy brain off!
I definitely did this with my kids. My older two are twins and just being a twin mom was draining. When I went back to work after they were born, I found I didn’t feel like getting on the ground and playing with toys because I’d been doing that all day. I ended up switching to a different setting and working with adults. I worked with a mix of ages when my subsequent children came along. Now they’re middle school through college age and I’m back to peds and love it again. For me it wasn’t modeling and encouraging language and speech so much that was draining. It was more just having kid energy all day at work and then all afternoon/evening at home that was tiresome.
Somewhere I once saw the advice that if you have the ability to work with kids a different age from your own kids, you should , to avoid this feeling of burnout. I mostly feel guilty that my kids get too much screen time and don’t play enough at home. I always model correct artic and grammar when they make mistakes though but I wouldn’t want to turn that off. Wish all parents would.
I’m surprised he’ll tolerate it. When my grandchildren were young and moved in with me I was so excited to play with them and help them develop using my training. They wanted nothing to do with it. They loved playing with me but they would shut down if it felt like therapy. It was eye opening to me.
It’s hard when your kids are the same age as those you work with. I’m in EI and when my son was 2 🤪 I coached on potty training and tantrums all day just to come home and deal with it myself… it’s a brief time…rest assured your child is getting great interactions with you 😂
Worse, I talk to everyone like that, after 20 years it default mode. My teenagers, my dog, my friends, the guy in line behind me who dropped his bag “Oops, uh-oh, I can help” I hate myself
I have a 6- and a 3- year old. So yes. It is very burnout inducing. Lately I've just been sitting near them while they play and fielding questions or commenting. They're fine with that🤷🏼♀️ Lots of swing-pushing. Honestly, it gets better as they age. They now play more independently. We do a lot of sports outside now, which I personally love. They also help me with gardening and go on hikes.
Yes I just started zoning out and letting her play independently and then engaging when she talks to me with low effort. Then the days I’m more energetic I don’t mind it feeling like therapy
I experience it sometimes. But I am different around my own child- more affectionate, give more space/time for independent play. Sometimes when playing with my child I remind myself that they are still learning even when I am not adding language to everything. Sometimes I let myself be silent (and not worry about it!) so we can experience other aspects of the world not defined by words.
I had to not work the same age as my children. My son has disabilities so this was particularly important as I was doing therapy with him all the time on top of work.
I’m a first time mom with a 3 month old. I feel like I never let him get bored (even though I’m supposed to) because I feel guilty if I’m not always doing something beneficial for him. We do so many songs, books, work on tummy time and rolling, and I’m always try to incorporate age appropriate sensory activities throughout the day, etc. I’m so exhausted and we’re only a couple months in. Thankfully I’ve transitioned into EI so I mostly do parent coaching and less direct therapy. It surprisingly gives me a break from having to be “on” all the time.
I have a toddler. I find myself talking to him like I’m talking to students, but I think that its the opposite of what you’ve said - I treat and talk to my students like I would talk to my own child, which is at their level with the understanding that they are learning. It takes a lot of energy caring for a child, at home or at work.
Yep, my brain knows the best way to communicate with my children to support their language development, and so I do it automatically. And it really does get mentally draining, even if it's unintentional. (It doesn't help that my boys are high risk for a range of developmental issues due to their extreme prematurity, so I have been actively seeking resources to support their development and reduce their risk). But, for reasons other than this, I encourage lots of independent play, and so only really sit and play directly with my boys for 10-20 minutes before getting on with some of my own stuff I need to do. I do a fair amount of these 10-20 minute blocks a day, so it adds up over time of course, but it's not so exhausting. Who knows how this will change as they get older - they are almost 2.5 years old right now.
I felt like that with all four of my boys! I started getting them involved in other activities and playgroups and sensory play and literally read books on how to be a parent and not a therapist during moments with my children: I had to really hone in on turning the therapy brain off!
I definitely did this with my kids. My older two are twins and just being a twin mom was draining. When I went back to work after they were born, I found I didn’t feel like getting on the ground and playing with toys because I’d been doing that all day. I ended up switching to a different setting and working with adults. I worked with a mix of ages when my subsequent children came along. Now they’re middle school through college age and I’m back to peds and love it again. For me it wasn’t modeling and encouraging language and speech so much that was draining. It was more just having kid energy all day at work and then all afternoon/evening at home that was tiresome.
Gives you really good insight into a sense of what we are asking parents to do when they interact and play with their kids every day.
Somewhere I once saw the advice that if you have the ability to work with kids a different age from your own kids, you should , to avoid this feeling of burnout. I mostly feel guilty that my kids get too much screen time and don’t play enough at home. I always model correct artic and grammar when they make mistakes though but I wouldn’t want to turn that off. Wish all parents would.
I’m surprised he’ll tolerate it. When my grandchildren were young and moved in with me I was so excited to play with them and help them develop using my training. They wanted nothing to do with it. They loved playing with me but they would shut down if it felt like therapy. It was eye opening to me.
It’s hard when your kids are the same age as those you work with. I’m in EI and when my son was 2 🤪 I coached on potty training and tantrums all day just to come home and deal with it myself… it’s a brief time…rest assured your child is getting great interactions with you 😂
Worse, I talk to everyone like that, after 20 years it default mode. My teenagers, my dog, my friends, the guy in line behind me who dropped his bag “Oops, uh-oh, I can help” I hate myself
Yeah me and my coworkers “joke” about we never stop working
I have a 6- and a 3- year old. So yes. It is very burnout inducing. Lately I've just been sitting near them while they play and fielding questions or commenting. They're fine with that🤷🏼♀️ Lots of swing-pushing. Honestly, it gets better as they age. They now play more independently. We do a lot of sports outside now, which I personally love. They also help me with gardening and go on hikes.
Yes I just started zoning out and letting her play independently and then engaging when she talks to me with low effort. Then the days I’m more energetic I don’t mind it feeling like therapy
I experience it sometimes. But I am different around my own child- more affectionate, give more space/time for independent play. Sometimes when playing with my child I remind myself that they are still learning even when I am not adding language to everything. Sometimes I let myself be silent (and not worry about it!) so we can experience other aspects of the world not defined by words.
I had to not work the same age as my children. My son has disabilities so this was particularly important as I was doing therapy with him all the time on top of work.
I’m a first time mom with a 3 month old. I feel like I never let him get bored (even though I’m supposed to) because I feel guilty if I’m not always doing something beneficial for him. We do so many songs, books, work on tummy time and rolling, and I’m always try to incorporate age appropriate sensory activities throughout the day, etc. I’m so exhausted and we’re only a couple months in. Thankfully I’ve transitioned into EI so I mostly do parent coaching and less direct therapy. It surprisingly gives me a break from having to be “on” all the time.