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A Parent’s Guide to Listening to Your Child
If you want them to talk, you need to be truly listening
As a mom of teens, I’ve reached the stage where my kids would rather talk to their friends than me. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get them to talk to me. But one thing I know for sure: it has nothing to do with them feeling like I don’t listen to them.
I’ve always made it a point to listen to my kids. True, there have been times where they’ve said things to me and I’ve had to say, “Wait, what?” because I was distracted and didn’t hear them. But when it really counts, they get my full attention.
If you want your children to listen to you, it’s important to listen to them. If you’re looking for additional motivation, Harvard’s Center on the Developing child says that having at least one caring parent was the most important factor in helping kids to build resilience and succeed in school.
Children were six times more likely to overcome challenges and complete their homework if they had a parent who listened to them, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
While parents had the greatest influence, other research shows that the presence of any caring adult can increase positive outcomes too.
