At one of the centers I worked at we were getting ready for our Halloween party. It was going to start with all of the children getting dressed up in their costumes and walking around outside in a parade for the parents to see.
I had a little boy in my classroom who didn't want to wear his costume. When I asked him to come over so I could put it on he told me 'no' and refused to put it on. I respected his choice and moved onto the next child to put their costume on. A few minutes later all of the classes were lining up in the entry hall to get ready for the parade. I was working with toddlers so most of them were in the stroller because they couldn't walk. One of my co-workers saw that this little boy didn't have his costume on and asked why. I told her he didn't want to wear it. She sighed, went into the classroom, got his costume, unbuckled him from the stroller and proceeded to try to put the costume on the child.
He kept trying to get down and kept telling her no while she tried to convince him to put the costume on and kept trying to force it on him. I finally said to her, "He doesn't want to put it on co-worker quit trying to make him. Respect his choice." She stomped away frustrated and mad not only at the child but me because she didn't get what she wanted. When I told the child's Mom that he didn't want to wear it, so I didn't force it she said, "Yeah he can be like that sometimes and it's best not to try to make him. It only makes him mad." It didn't even begin to bother her that he didn't have the costume on.
Children should be seen, listened to and heard.
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