Are You Really Listening to Your Child
Talking to our kids can be very difficult most of the time. We as parents feel the kids aren’t listening to us, and the kids feel as if we are not listening to them. To be able to really communicate with are kids we need to be good listeners.
Your children have feelings; there have their own views on things not leaving out the opinions. We need to sit down and listen to them openly and discuss everything with them honestly. We have this tendency to react more than respond.
We are ready to pass judgment based on our feelings and experiences but by responding it means that we are receptive to our child’s feeling and emotions, it allows them to say what they are feeling openly and honestly without worrying about the repercussion from us.
By reacting, we are telling our kids that their feeling and opinions are not important. But by taking the time in asking questions about why he or she feels that way, tends to open the door to discuss their feeling even further, and also to better understand where they’re coming from. By responding it also gives us the opportunity to work out a solution or take a plan of action with our kids that perhaps they would not have come up with on their own. Our kids will also appreciate and know that we do indeed understand how they are feeling.
So forget about reading the paper and turn off that television so you can hear what’s going on and make eye contact with your kids. Stay cool, try to be inquisitive, and then offer a couple of solutions to the problem. Don’t feel discourage that your child is feeling upset or angry or frustrated.
Our initial parenting instinct may say or do something to keep the kid away from it, but this can be more harmful than good. Listen to your kids, and ask questions to find out what is bothering them and then offer a few solutions to get rid of the bad feeling.
Just as we have feelings and experience difficult situations, so do our kids so taking the time to listen and participate with our kids as they talk about it, it shows them that we really do care, and that we want to help, and that we to go through the same experiences. And always remember to listen and respond BUT don’t react.
