So what are you really trying to say….

We live in a world full of ambiguity – where we communicate with one another via technology such as email and even sites such as minti. What a wonderful and exciting time to be apart of. Some of us remember when all we had to communicate with was pen and paper, telephones, faxes, telegrams and simply ‘person to person contact’. A time when urgent messages would be sent off and take days to reach the other person.

One thing that has remained constant through out these changes and has progressed to meet the different ways in which we communicate, is body language – the silent language. Despite everything, this is the one thing that still defines a simple sentence from being taken lightly from being taken seriously. Without realizing, we have all become so much more dependant on these gestures and for many it is the only way to work out the meaning behind the words we read or hear.

It is also what us parents heavily rely upon when trying to discover the ‘truth’ behind our children’s actions. It is in fact the most important form of non-verbal communication and can tell us a lot more than words alone, it has own special volume.

If you sit back and watch your child, you will be amazed by exactly what they are telling you and by gestures alone.

“I don’t like that little boy mummy” as little Katie sits close by him and shares her toys.

“I understand what you’re saying” as little Johnny screws up his nose

“I don’t want to talk’ says the teenager who still remains seated next to you while leaning towards your direction.

You can tell that Katie likes really does like the little boy as she is sharing and sitting close by. Johnny shows his confusion by screwing his nose up and the teen, despite saying ‘I don’t want to talk’ is still there waiting for you to initiate a conversation.

But what if you hadn’t have seen this body language? What if you had been pre-occupied or didn’t understand it? You would have missed a vital part of interacting with your child as well as one of the most important messages they will give you. Children are extremely expressive and it takes more than just listening to hear what they are saying and this is even more so during teen years.

When your child complains that you are not listening to them and you argue that you are, stop for a moment and consider the fact that maybe you aren’t as well as you could be. Consider that maybe you missed a vital piece of information, like their body language at the time of talking to them.