Observing Communication

Today I went into the local Kroger’s Grocery store to buy some milk. As I was about to enter the store there was some Girl Scouts selling cookies. I observed the communication between the Girl Scouts and their potential customers. There was one lady standing there as the Girl Scout asked her if she wanted to buy some cookies. The lady decided to take a look at the cookies. When the Girl Scouts asked her if she wanted to buy any of the cookies that she saw the lady was too busy text messaging on her cell phone and did not respond. She was not paying any attention to the Girl Scouts so the Girl Scout asked her the same question again. The lady was not being attentive and continued text messaging on her phone as she stood in front of the cookie stand.

Another customer walked up so the Girl Scout asked the man if he wanted to buy cookies. The man said yes and asked for three boxes of cookies. When the Girl Scout was about to reach the man the cookies, the lady who was standing there previously started getting upset because she was there first.  The Girl Scout explained to the lady that she asked her several times if she wanted cookies and she did not respond. The Girl Scout assumed that the woman did not want the cookies because she ignored her. “When you ignore babies, you tell them that they are not valued” (Kovach & Da Ros-Voseles , 2011). This is why the Girl Scout went on and began helping the other customer. If the lady would have been attentive in the beginning she could have purchased the cookies then left the stand. The lady began telling and saying mean things to the Girls Scout. The Girl Scout began crying and went sat in her chair near the stand. The scout’s sponsor walked over to the woman and advised her that her behavior is inappropriate. She also went on to explain how the Girl Scout asked her several times if she wanted anything. The lady walked to the Girl Scout and apologized for her behavior. She did not want any cookies but did make a donation to the Girl Scout.

After reading this week’s resources I must keep in mind that all people are important and we must treat people how we would like to be treated.  If you make people feel less than who they are then there will be ongoing conflict. This can hinder children’s self esteem because they do not feel significant. It is also important to be respectful of others and show them attention as you would want the same thing if someone was listening to you.

Reference:

Kovach, B., & Da Ros-Voseles, D. (2011). Communicating with babies. YC: Young Children, 66(2), 48–50. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=60001533&site=ehost-live&scope=site