Does this mean that a child named Jessica is ALWAYS well-behaved?
There’s a new “parenting hack” on social media, that promises you can stop toddler tantrums . . . by shouting “JESSICA!” The kid doesn’t need to be named Jessica . . . and they don’t need to know anyone named Jessica.
Several parents swear by it . . . but they’ve got to be full of it, right?
A family physician named Dr. Deborah Gilboa said it’s just “the element of surprise” of shouting a name . . . ANY name . . . unexpectedly.
She said, “[Babies] have object permanence” . . . meaning the thing that they’re upset about still exists in their minds even after it’s out of sight. But if you abruptly call out an unfamiliar name, you disrupt that focus.
Our brains . . . even YOUNG brains . . . are wired to assess new situations and potential risks. And she says the Jessica hack works because “the brain is like, ‘Wait, what?"” And it stops to figure out what’s happening.
If this is true, it means that the Jessica hack won’t work forever. As children recognize the pattern, their brains adapt, and the interruption loses its effect. So you might have to pivot to “REBECCA!”
@tiffaniortegaaa I actually can’t believe this worked 😂 #fyp #foryou #toddler ♬ original sound – Tiffani | FL Photographer