How Parents Communicate with Children

Communication with kids is never easy. But it needs not be the battle that all parents fear. With some simple advice, parents will be better able to understand their kids’ needs and wants.

Parents also need to find new ways to connect with their kids to support their relationship. Here we present some 10 killer tips from some of the best parenting experts on how to improve your communication with your children

1. Be attentive to your kids

Understand that kids’ communication is not limited to verbal or written communication. They also use non-verbal signals. It means you can actually hear your kids when they are talking. Do pay attention to the non-verbal cues that indicate when your child is happy, tired, sad, or in any kind of pain. Kids also use humor and play to communicate. So, when you listen to your kids, please pay close attention to their body language, humor, and play.

2. Watch out for their personality

Be aware of your kids’ personalities so that you will know what kind of communication they need. Research has shown that kids who are easily frustrated and have low self-confidence do not communicate effectively with their peers. Other kids on the other hand, are very talkative and express their emotions more often than others do. This is why parents who do not know these differences between kids should ask their kids about their personality traits before they start parenting.

3. Find out the differences

Another thing you should consider is your child’s age and level of maturity. Not all kids are as responsible as they should be. If your child is immature, he or she might be careless or not be able to handle the stress appropriately. Your job as a parent is to set an example for your child so that they’ll know what to expect in return when they act irresponsibly.

4. Talk, talk and talk!

Converse with your kids regularly. Try to know what they need and want and also how they express it. Try to find out whether they are having any kind of fun at their school. Your children will surely learn a lot from you. You’ll know if they’re on the right track or not if you keep in touch with them regularly.

5. Have nerves of steel

Kids are always asking you for something, even if they don’t understand why. When this happens, always explain to them what they mean by it. Don’t let them be confrontational or yell because this will only make things worse. It will also break your bond with your kids, causing them to look for someone else to talk to instead of you.

6. Be a teacher

Kids tend to confuse words for meaning. It would be best if you were careful about this because kids don’t know the difference between true and false. As their parent, you should try to explain things clearly and not rely on vague words. If you don’t know the meaning of a word, feel free to ask your child for an explanation.

7. Positivity is the key

Communication with your kids is essential, and sometimes, you need to step up and help your kids understand their parents. You have to be positive and cheerful about it. Your kids need to feel loved and valued as well, so if you want to boost their self-esteem, be encouraging. If you do these things, you’ll never run out of ways on how parents communicate with kids.

8. Be patient, make patient

How do you start teaching them about the importance of sharing? Ask your kids to share about what they’re doing. Be sure to be patient with them because kids are natural copy cats. They want to imitate what their parents do. Be encouraging and supportive of their choices.

Ask your kids about their day and ask them what they did. Don’t let your kids’ answers make you fee bad. Instead, be encouraging. If you find out that your kid was wrong, let them know that you love them and that you are willing to work on their self-confidence.

9. Respect, respect, respect

Please do your best to maintain respect in your relationship with them. Respect how your children are leading their lives. Give them choices and let them make the decisions themselves. Allowing them set the pace and be in charge may cause them to stray from these values you instilled in them. Teach your kids to respect themselves

10. Set them free

How parents communicate with kids has a lot to do with how kids know what’s going on in your lives. If kids don’t feel like they have choices, they’ll most likely do things that you disapprove of. However, if kids know that they have the freedom to be themselves and that you are always there for them, then they will respect you as their parent and listen to you because they realize that they can tell you anything.

As Carol B Hillman said, “One of the most important things we adults can do for young children is to MODEL the kind of person we would like them to be.” This quote sums up everything. The way we lead our lives, communicate, look at our surroundings are changing, but still, we have the same feelings for our kids as before. We compromise with nothing when it comes to the betterment of our children. But every wrong move we make may lead us to havoc in this relationship. We will get the same thing as what we put inside them.