For some reason all of her short life Bethel has had a difficult time with the command, Look at me. Sometimes I have to repeat the command several times before she responds.
Yes, she’s naturally non-linear, like me. And yes, there are times when I think she really forgets what I ask her to do. This is a part of her personality that we’ll probably be working on for awhile. Because of her personality, making sure she is looking at me helps me make sure she’s paying attention before I give a command. It helps her to pay attention better. It also helps me follow through better, for some reason.
Yes, it’s possible that she really doesn’t hear, and I don’t always know. But refusing to look up when I’m certain she’s listening is (or should be) an obedience issue. I need to be praying for discernment here, and actually working on this task. Perhaps my suspicion that she’s deliberately not obeying is the discernment before I’ve even asked for it.
We are working on Ethan looking at us when we tell him to do something. Well, actually we want him to look at us when we say his name so we can then give a command. How young do you think a child can comprehend this? We are staring to realize he knows more than we thought! He is 15 months.
I think it depends on the child. I’m working on the “look at me” game with Laurel, and she’s not a year yet. Basically, when I say her name or say “look at me” I praise her as though it were intentional. “Good. You looked at mommy!” I don’t do this all the time; just when I remember. đŸ™‚