Listening

My son, in particular, does not say whatever is on his mind. In fact he doesn’t say much about what goes on in his world at school; unless I ask questions. Of course, even then, I don’t hear as much as I want to hear.

What I have noticed though, is when my son begins the conversation, it’s either something he thinks is really cool and he’s excited about it, or something happened and it is bothering him.

Per the excitement, I'll listen and ask questions to figure out what is driving his excitement.

On the latter, I typically drop what I am doing and try to name what he is feeling about the situation. We talk about how things could have gone differently. Depending on the situation, we discuss what he needs or what his friends need from him.

Does your kid have a pattern of talking about things that happen to him? Have you been able to listen to your kid lately?

I’d love to hear about the patterns you’ve noticed.

Dawn-Marie
www.Parent.Family-Rx.com