Truth-telling time. The most common mistake parents make when interacting with their child is failing to recognize when they should be listening, and they miss the opportunity. I call these opportunities listening moments. Here are some of the most common parent-child...
In Chapter 4 of my book, Connect with Your Kid: Mastering the Top 10 Parent-Child Communication Skills, I place special emphasis on the skill, "Listening to Understand." The main reasons is that a parent's ability to listen well is crucial in so many situations. These...
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You may have heard it said that "Few people are good listeners." While this may ring true, I know you'd like to be a better listener for your teen. The benefits to your relationship are enormous. What you find out! The amazing way it strengthens the bond between you....
Listening is the most powerful skill a parent can have. It has the potential to "change the game" with regard to your relationship with your child. In my writing about this skill, I refer to it as "listening to understand," a phrase I borrowed from Stephen Covey's...
What is it like to be a child? Do you have any memory of this? A refresher: Compared to any adult, a child is lacking in almost every way. Physically smaller than an adult, without financial resources, and woefully lacking in understanding about how the world and...
Fact: If you haven't nurtured a loving, trusting relationship with your child, they won't be open to your guidance. And they need a lot of guidance. During the first 20 years of life, they have a lot of growing up to do as they avoid the pitfalls of adolescence and...
I remember an incident in which my two sons were playing together outside. One got mad at the other and it came to blows. In retrospect, I understand that a contributing factor was their underdeveloped ability to exercise empathy. That was then, over 40 years ago....
The great thing about a mistake or any bad experience is that you can learn from it. But it's just as easy, if not easier, to not learn a thing. Kids make go through a lot of emotions on the way to growing up. They have so much to learn and the road can be pretty...
I was in a hurry to get home, but so were many other people in rush hour traffic. I had to wait in line to turn right and then immediately I had to wait in a long line at a stoplight. When the light turned green, the car in front of me didn't move. The driver was...