I love how young children make up words.
For example, the other day, I asked my youngest how his day at school went.
His answer was: “very well-ly, thank you”
When it comes to language, children are fearless. They are so focussed on the ideas that they want to express that the correctness of the words is unimportant to them.
They don’t feel under pressure to get each sentence right.
They don’t worry about what other people will think if they get a word wrong.
As long as they are making themselves understood, they don’t give it too much thought.
So why do other things in life cause them so much worry?
The answer is, consequence.
Worry starts to creep in when there’s a consequence for failure.
I doesn’t matter if it’s a missed opportunity, the risk of disapproval, or the possibility or being laughed at. It all puts them under pressure to get it right, and that’s when they stop being fearless and start becoming self-conscious.
But deal with the consequence and the fear disappears.
Heidi Woodgate