Quiet Thinking Time
Sometimes young friends of five or six will ask me a question about how something works. I’m happy to answer, and often I remember to slow down my speech and use shorter sentences and less complicated words.
Most important, I pause after one or two sentences and just look at them. They often fall silent but look at me intently. I quietly give them attention while their brain seems to be sorting the sounds I was just making and cataloging them in useful ways. They will just look at me for a few seconds—much longer than most adults are used to pausing. Once they have fully absorbed my explanation, they will look away, or ask another question, or talk about something else.
I find it satisfying to have this quiet thinking time between us.
Richard Kramer
Berlin, Massachusetts, USA