WHAT?

If there is one thing (of many) that bugs me more than anything and always has is when kids are talking/asking/engaging with their parents and they hear "WHAT?". My goodness there is nothing positive about that. It doesn't stimulate, encourage a response, or teach proper communicating skills. How many of us says "What?" to each other unless irritated. You wouldn't say to your friend or co-worker or boss simply "What?" when they called to speak to you or tried to get your attention. You would say things like "what can I do?", "how can I help?", "what do you need?" etc etc M definitely likes to repeat your name and we gladly say her name back or simply ask questions in sentence form back to her so she learns communication skills. I've been out and about recently and have heard moms and dads in all different settings saying "What" in that tone...you know the irritated, your not as important as what I'm doing right now tone. It's just something I think should be part of the "How not to talk to your toddler book.". The look in the kids eyes is so disheartening. I thank my mom for this as she was the one always telling me to stop saying "What" to her when she called for me. She said I sounded ignorant and she wouldn't have it. She said you answer me with a full sentence and with respect. I learned from friends and I know M will go through a rude "What" phase but hopefully it will be short lived like mine was and we are laying ground work for her to not be a "What" mom or kid and keep positive communication a continuous part of her learning.