In their desire for better upbringing, parents often start worrying about small things regarding their children. A mother approached Dr. Madhavi Bhardwaj with one such concern. They were afraid that if their child could not learn English in the early days because of living with grandparents, it would have some negative impact.
Usually, when working moms go to office, the responsibility of taking care of the child is taken over by the grandparents. However, during this time, many working mothers have various kinds of worries regarding their child. They wonder whether he is being taken care of properly or not, whether in their absence the child is missing out on learning something new or whether he will be left behind from other children. It is not at all that grandparents do not take good care of the child, but being a mother, different types of worries remain in the mind. A mother shared one such concern with pediatrician Dr. Madhavi Bhardwaj.
She said that when she is not at home, her children are taken care of by her grandparents. But they do not know English, so they fear that their child will miss something or face problems later in school. After hearing this from the mother, the expert gave such an answer, which removed a major misconception regarding English and the early development of the child. Let us know what he said. Will the child miss anything by not knowing English?
Pediatrician Dr. Madhavi Bhardwaj says that recently a mother expressed concern to her and said, ‘Mam, when I am not at home, my child’s primary care is taken by the grandparents. He is from a village, so he does not know English. At the same time, other children in the park speak in English. I am afraid that my child will miss something? Will he face problems later when he goes to school and doesn’t know English?’
The child learns all this in two to two and a half years
After hearing this the doctor says that English is just a language. As a pediatrician, she explains that at the age of 2 to 2.5 years, the child starts considering himself as a stranger. He begins to recognize who are his own people and who are new ones, and it may take him some time to socialize with new people. Also, he starts speaking by combining two words, like ‘Mumma, give it’ or ‘Come out.’ The child understands even simple two-step instructions and starts following them.
The child needs love at this time
Apart from this, he starts talking about his pee-potty, his emotional awareness starts developing, like- Mumma is sad and so on. He also starts playing pretend play i.e. imaginary games. Now you people tell yourselves where English comes in milestones, speech and all these things. Therefore, all parents need to understand that what a child needs most in his early years, i.e. the foundation years, is a loving, safe environment. So there is no need to feel FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) just because of English.
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english is just a language
Experts finally say that English is just a language, when the child grows up and goes to school, he will learn it easily. Earlier also many people used to learn it in English class 10th, still they became successful in their respective fields. The doctor further says that being able to speak English is neither a status symbol nor a measure of the child’s development or cognition. Therefore, there is no need to worry only about the fact that the child does not know English. The most important thing is that he learns his mother tongue well and learns good values. image-freepik