Toddler Talk

Daycare closed yesterday with short notice, so I spent the day home with my little guy.  He's just learning to talk, and a lot of words he does say sound similar ("car" and "color" for example). I find myself repeating what he says back to him for clarification.  ("Oh, did you ask to go up in the chair?") He'll either nod his head or shake it, or he'll give me a pretty loud "No!" if I'm not understanding him correctly. We'll go back and forth until I get it right. Usually, I understand him the first time around, but there are some instances where I really just don't understand what he is saying.

Think about the last time you didn't understand someone's words. Did you just nod in agreement or let the confusing moment go without clarification because you were in a hurry, embarrassed, or something else? Or did you ask the speaker to repeat what he/she said, or ask for another form of clarification?  Imagine all the miscommunications that wouldn't occur if we would just stop and ask for clarification. 

My toddler reminded me yesterday of a pretty important lesson in communication and what can happen with the send and receiver aren't both active and clear in the conversation.