The Interrupt Rule
The situation is all too familiar. Two adults are talking and a child needs to tell their mother something.”Mom! Mom!” the child says as their mother is mid-sentence with her friend. Five minutes later it happens again. ”Excuse me, Mom?”
Even with polite words, the parent is being interrupted. It can be hard to focus on either conversation AND be an effective listener when your thoughts are continuously interrupted.
There is a great opportunity here for a child to show respect and honor to their elders by properly knowing how to interrupt a conversation.
Several years ago I took a parenting class called Growing Kids God’s Way which taught a solution I have recently reintroduced to my children. It’s called The Interrupt Rule.
Here’s how it works: When two adults are talking and a child needs to interrupt, they simply put their hand on their parent’s arm or shoulder. The child waits patiently without speaking. By maintaining physical contact, the parent knows the child has a need. The parent touches the child’s hand in return to acknowledge its presence.
The parent can continue in their conversation until there is a natural pause or good moment to address the child. “Thank you for waiting Palmer, what can I help you with?”
The result is that the child’s needs have been met and were addressed with undivided attention at a moment determined by the parent.
I have also been known to hide in my closet when talking on the phone to avoid being interrupted; so I have implemented the Interrupt Rule while I am on the phone. My children don’t wait forever, but this gives me a few moments to finish up my conversation before shifting gears.
In addition to the obvious lesson in patience, The Interrupt Rule teaches children to honor and respect their elders and the conversations among them.
What about you? How do you handle your children’s interruptions?
Allison Hendrix is a freelance writer and creator of The House of Hendrix blog. She graduated from Duke University and is currently homeschooling her daughter. Her writing reflects a humorous approach to parenting and life. When she is not juggling being a wife and mother to her 3 energetic children, she can be found on Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter.
