Listen to what your child is saying

How many times have you been in the room and your child is talking to you, but you find yourself having to ask them to repeat what they have said (this could also go with your spouse too). To often I find that people tend to hear but not listen to others. I am in no way immune to this as J-Mom would attest, but I try and be a good listener to my children, even when I do not completely understand what they are talking about. I try and validate their feelings and ask questions which shows that I am interested and following their line of thought.There are times though when it is difficult to listen. It is easy to simply say “Uh Huh”, “Hmmmm” or make the proverbial head nod to show that we are supposedly engaged in the conversation, though half the time our minds are somewhere else completely.

It is important to not only listen to your child, but also show by example that listening is important. You must model the behaviors in yourself that you want within your children.

In researching this post I came up with a number of resources that I wanted to share with you all:

Today’s task is for you to sit down with your child and take the time to be present with them. Have a candid conversation and simply listen to their joys, their concerns, their hopes; hear what they have to say and respond accordingly. For a more in depth structured experience try the following.

I am interested to know where you find your listening waning and what you have done in the past or what you plan to do to listen better. If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well.

Good luck with day 4 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 4: Listen to what your child is saying