Communication with your child - The Successful way!

 The communication with your child can be quite a challenge. To have an effective two-way communication between you and your little ones is so important, but at times can be very frustrating.

However, it has become apparent that a healthy two-way line of communication requires the same rules for both parties: the parent as well as the child.

Do you get frustrated with your child when you try and make something clear and their attention isn't entirely focussed on you and what you are saying? Their attention seems to be on something other than the conversation in hand?

 

 As always: a little self-awareness can soon clear the fog from your brain and provide some insight into the situation and how to dramatically improve your communication and therefore your relationship with your children.

We expect our children to drop everything and listen intently to what we are saying to them, yet we find it perfectly acceptable to discuss things with them whilst we are reading a magazine, doing the ironing, working on our laptop, opening the post, you name it. Is it really that surprising that when we then get a breakdown in our line of communication with our children?

It is in children's nature that they aren't always completely responsive to their surroundings and are by nature curious, but easily distracted.

It is our responsibility as a parent to give priority to positive patterns of communication and ensure that your children learn it is unacceptable to ignore communication.

Teaching our children about how to communicate is vital and we as parents have to lead by example: Being focussed entirely on them and the conversation we are having with them, without distraction of television, telephone or whatever it may be.

Talking to our children and explaining how they are communicating and why we are communicating in a particular manner makes that they start to understand the art of communication.

There are various things we can do as parents to help our children master the art of effective communication:

Make sure that you are an active listener yourself: Let them express their point of view and tell their story without being interrupted and make sure you understand what their opinion is. Be consistent in the way in which you communicate with your children and send the same message every time. Remind them communication is a two-way street when you need to: sometimes you listen, sometimes you speak, both actively and respectfully.
But the number one way to ensure a healthy communication pattern is to model positive communication skills. Children will always have moments where they are distractive or non-communicative, but by leading the way as a parent, children's communication will improve beyond a doubt. In the end they do as you do and not as you tell them.

So what are your opinions? Let us know in the comments below....... We look forward to hearing from you!