Power Talk

Nope.... not promoting any telco mobile phone package.

I'm referring to the "5-minute Impression", which The Shichida Method advocates. They say that you just need to spend 5 minutes to talk to your kid, right after (yes after) they have fallen asleep.

The Shichida Method aims to develop a child's right brain via flashcards, imaging etc. Research has shown that in the first few minutes after a person drifts into dreamland, while the physical body is totally resting, the mind is still active. Just like how coma patients cry when they hear voices of their loved ones around them. And messages conveyed during this time are said to be the most well received as there are little disruption and the mind is 100% focused.

You can talk to your child about anything, but it is most effective if you encourage/praise them in words of the things they have done well and tell them to work towards achieving certain things that you would like them to do, eg if a kid refuses to give up his pacifier, tell him he is a big boy and will not need his pacifier anymore; or if the child is not feeling well, tell her that her body is fighting the viruses/germs and she will feel a whole lot better the next morning. While it is unlikely that we can see results immediately, but it is believed that there will be some improvements, even just after a few sessions. Allow me to tell you our personal experiences.

We use the "5-minute impression" with Mayenne and we were surprised with the success we had: we weaned Mayenne from her pacifier at 16/17 months without much trouble; she started to walk after we encouraged her (she was crawling and cruising for quite a few months) etc.

Due to work commitments, this exercise was kind of forgotten, until recently, Mayenne starting drinking a lot less milk (for no obvious reasons), and has been waking up in the middle of the night, wailing (sometimes sounded frightened, sometimes angry and frustrated). Chester then reminded me to revisit the "5-minute impression" again.

So one night, I told Mayenne how great a kid she is, and how Mummy and Papa is so proud of her. I added that (1) it is important for her to rest well, and as such, she will need to sleep through the night without waking up. (2) If she needs to wake up in the middle of the night because she's hungry, then all she needs to do is to drink more milk before she sleeps. (3) She will not fuss too much, trying too hard to fall asleep, but instead will doze off within 5 minutes after being tucked in bed.

The first night, she slept through and I had to wake her up for breakfast at 7.30am. The following night, she emptied her milk bottle. On the 3rd night, she tossed and turned a bit when I laid her down, but then a quick turn to her side, and she's zzzz, all within 5 minutes straight.

Coincidence? I don't think so. Some people may think this is all baloney, but I am a believer that it works and it is a powerful avenue for parents to connect with their children.

Why don't you give it a try? If it doesn't work, you don't lose anything, but if it works, it will do both your child and you good all round.

P.S. apparently this works for adults too, so ladies, after your hubbies hit the sack tonight, go up to his ear and whisper to him how great a hubby he is and tell him what you want for Christmas. May be, just may be, he will finally buy you a gift that you like.

Good luck.