Hi Good Parents,

Nowadays, parents are too busy with themselves and they do not have much time for their children. There are too many cases, that parents do not make necessary efforts to keep good communications with their kids. It goes worse and worse as children are trying to find out something outside to solve their problems.

I just found quite a good article about this on the internet. So if you are a parent, here are five tips to help you communicate more effectively with your children:

1. Listen. It sounds obvious, but if children don’t think they will be heard, they won’t go to you with the hard questions or problems.
2. Create opportunities for interaction with your kids. Families spend so much time apart these days. Use ‘car time’ – such as the 20-minute drive to school – as a time to communicate with your children. If possible call them at least once a day through your cell phone.
3. Lead by example. Far too many parents opt for the ‘do as I say not as I do’ method. But this sends mixed messages to children regarding important situations.
4. Respect the child’s intuition. We all have ‘gut feelings,’ and if kids are encouraged to trust theirs, they will be able to heed their intuition in dicey situations when we aren’t around to help.
5. Don’t confuse ‘respect’ with ‘giving in.’ It is important that the parental role is not usurped. Don’t give in to kids just to diffuse a problematic situation. Instead communicate with them and let them know why rules are rules.

By showing our children that we are receptive to what they have to say and that we are willing to talk with them, not just at them, we can help them gain confidence and maturity, but we need to make sure we are practicing what we preach.

Contemplative questions:
1. Are you ready to keep good communications with your children?
2. Are you helping your children to build their self confidence?
3. Do you think your children can handle a difficult situation when you are not around?
4. Do you spend enough time with them?
5. Are you aware on what your children are thinking about you?

All right! If your children are your future, think over the above questions and share a good heart with them.

Cheers!
You can find more on the article here