5 Ways to Understand Your Children
guest post by Adrienne Carlson
There is nothing more precious in the world than our children, and as parents, there is nothing we would not do to ensure their happiness. Unfortunately, as they grow older, they seem to grow away from us, mostly due to the fact that we are not able to understand them as well as we used to. Most parents fail in their duties as mom and dad when their kids hit their pre-teen years, and it often takes years before the balance is restored again. But if you want to avoid the unpleasantness of fighting with your kids and being their enemy No.1 during their formative years, you need to understand them first. And to do this, you must:
- Listen to them: When your child talks to you, don’t just hear what he or she is saying; instead, listen to more than just their words. Observe the tone, their body language, the expressions on their face, and the mood they are in. This way, you know exactly how your child feels about a particular issue or situation even though they may not say so in so many words. When you don’t listen to your children, they slowly drift away from you and you find it difficult to connect to them.
- Put yourself in their place: Very often, the generation gap widens when you don’t look at things from their point of view. Remember that you were also a teenager once and that you too were at odds with your parents. If you make the effort to explain to your children why you set certain rules and also try to understand their view of the situation, you grow closer to them, and in spite of the differences, you remain close to them.
- Be their friend: There are times when your kids need you to be their friends rather than parents, so switch roles accordingly. When they know that they can come to you with any problem they might have and that you are not going to hit the roof and act like a typical parent, they tend to trust you more and let you into their lives.
- Be attentive: Most kids who get into trouble often do so because they are seeking attention – in their book, the only way they can make their parents take notice of them is to engage in disruptive behavior. So understand your children’s cry for attention and spend more time with them so that they grow up to be mature adults with good values.
- Don’t interfere too much in their lives: No one likes a snoop, least of all adolescents with growing pains and troubles. So allow them their privacy and don’t interfere too much in their lives. Talk to them instead of going behind their backs, and be a friend who understands rather than a parent who reprimands.
Your children are your greatest assets, so nurture them well in order to enhance the value of their lives.
By-line:
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of physical therapy assistant schools . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: [email protected]
