ADVICE RATING |
 4.75 (Highly recommend) from 15 votes (1259 Visits) |
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Speaking to your kids so they will listen. |
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by mcm  (July 2006) (rank 2nd) |
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Trust is essential in effective family communication. It allows parents and kids to talk openly about issues that are of utmost importance. This communication doesn't necessarily mean everyone will agree. However it does give each family member the opportunity to speak freely witthout blame or judgement. In strong families, the
members are good listeners. They are more likely to listen to other points of view and ask questions, to help them understand how someone else is feeling, rather than just assuming. I think this is a great attribute to have.
Keeping positive through the use of humour is a wonderful thing. You can use humour to reduce tension which helps when coping with difficult situations. Positive communication also means giving complements and encouraging good behaviour and performance. Children love to have their good behaviour recognised. My daughter loves it when I tell her she is doing well, acting grown up by doing things such as preparing herself for school, cleaning her room and playing nicely with her brothers.
Families should also be able to share negative as well as positive feelings. It is a good thing for children to understand they can voice their feelings in an assertive way rather than an aggressive way when angry. As parents i think its important to be an example to our children in this way. My children can recognise how I am feeling and are sensitive to that as I am with them. My children can even sense when I am sad and will ask if I am okay. I love this relationship I have with them. One on one time is also important to build a relationship between a parent and child. It helps to make them feel special and creates a bond. I like to take my girl to see a movie on the school holidays. That is a special treat. On a daily basis we do homework together. When she is at school I have the opportunity to spend time with my boy as my baby sleeps.
To promote better communication;
- Sit down to a meal together and share what has been done during the day.
- Share a task or activity and chat away - having hands busy allows the mouth and heart to open!
- Speak to your children in their rooms as this may make them feel like they have some control, being in their domain.
- Stay up to date with what is happening - a great challenge for us these days is to keep communicating when life gets busy.
Parents often say, 'My children never listen' but Its true that they are always watching us. If you open up to them, they will in turn open up too.
