Freddish.

before

Don't touch the stove, it's dangerous.

after

The stove is where we cook warm food, and it can be very hot. Your favorite grown-ups can show you which places are safe to touch. Asking first is a fine way to learn.

Nine gentle steps

One idea, rethought step by step from a young child's point of view.

  1. #1

    Say the true thing plainly. Put the idea in words a preschooler already knows, before anything else.

    It is dangerous to play in the street.

  2. #2

    Turn it toward the positive. Say what is safe or possible, not what to avoid.

    It is good to play where it is safe.

  3. #3

    Point to the people they trust. Small children can't yet weigh fine distinctions, but they can trust their grown-ups.

    Ask your parents where it is safe to play.

  4. #4

    Take out the instruction. Nothing that commands or directs. Even "ask" goes.

    Your parents will tell you where it is safe to play.

  5. #5

    Soften what sounds certain. "Will" makes a promise; "can" leaves room for a child's real life.

    Your parents can tell you where it is safe to play.

  6. #6

    Make it true for every child. Not every child has parents close by, so choose words that reach them all.

    Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play.

  7. #7

    Give a reason to want to. Add one simple motivation for going along with the idea.

    Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is good to listen to them.

  8. #8

    Check it again for judgement. Back to the first step. "Good" is a verdict, so replace it with something honest.

    Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them.

  9. #9

    Tie it to growing up. End by relating the idea to something a preschooler is already learning to do.

    Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them, and listening is an important part of growing.

These follow the nine rules Arthur Greenwald and Barry Head wrote for the program's writers in 1977.

Try one of these

Hard things grown-ups say every day. Any of them can be said a kinder way.

Where your words go

A few things it can help to know before you write.

When you press Translate, your words go to Anthropic. That is where the translation happens. Your words do not stay here.

This site keeps a copy of the translated words for one day, so that if you type the very same thing again, it can answer right away.

The site remembers a little about each visit, such as how many times someone has used the site today, so it can rest when it needs to. It does not remember what anyone said.

Anthropic can keep what it receives for a while, as its own rules say. If that matters for what you want to say, it is okay to say it another way, or to wait until it feels right.