Over the last couple weeks, parents have been sharing with me their frustrations due to the added pressure of school, extra driving, and homework, as well as the increase in conflict with their children. They tell me that they are nagging, yelling and threatening more in order to try to get their children to cooperate. It’s only 2 weeks into the school year and already parents are tired.
Some parents are also worried about how their child is coping in school. They worry about their child’s self-esteem and resilience. They wonder whether their child will come to them if they have a problem.
One of the best ways to improve your relationship with your child is to LISTEN. I know. You’re probably thinking “but, I do listen!” he thing is, because we love our children so much, we want to help them. So….we listen for a bit, and then we usually jump in with ways to help. As we offer suggestions, our children feel frustrated. They don’t feel heard and they often get angry. They don’t like any of our suggestions and they storm off in a huff. Sound familiar?
We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason. We need to listen twice as long as we talk. Today, try just listening to your child. Let them vent. Pretend you have duct tape over your mouth and you can’t speak. You can nod. You can say “Hmmm”, but you can’t jump in with solutions or suggestions. One thing you CAN say is “Tell me more about that.” Let them spew! Then wait. See what happens. What I find, is that your child will calm down and then, they will start to come up with their own solutions. Sometimes they may need to have some alone time, but, I am always amazed at how well this works and the amazing solutions that children will come up with. Try it! My guess is that you will be pleasantly surprised.
If you need some practice with listening or if you are feeling the added stress in your home from the busyness and turmoil of the back to school routine, I encourage you to join me for my 6 week Parenting Program to help you create a more harmonious home. Learn the best ways to nurture your relationship with your child, how to boost your child’s confidence and resilience, as well as ways to increase cooperation.
7 Best Ways to Create Nurturing and Harmonious Relationships With Your Children
Would you like to know how to:
- enhance your child’s self-esteem and resilience?
- create cooperative and responsible children?
- build close, nurturing and harmonious relationships with your children?
I invite you to join me on an empowering 6 week journey as you create a NURTURING and HARMONIOUS home.
Time: Every Wednesday mornings, October 8 to November 12, 2014, from 9:30 – 11:30 am
Place: Calgary, Alberta
Investment: $250.00
Reserve your seat now by calling 403-477-6594 – OR – Register & Pay for your Workshop through PayPal below:
With Joy & Harmony,
Nola
