There is often a genuine communication gap between children and parents. It is only through sincere and honest communication that parents can help their children grow up to become healthy, happy and honest individuals and members of society. Effective communication for children utilizes many of the same principles as effective communication between adults entails.
Approach
When communicating with children, place a strong emphasis on truthfulness. Everyone appreciates honesty in their communications. This helps forge a bond based on security and trust. Children are vulnerable to lies, as they are so impressionable and tend to imitate what adults do. If you tell children lies, they often will do the same. Provide children with respect and logical reasons and explanations for what you expect from them.
Features
Make sure to show your children unconditional acceptance and love. This helps children feel safe enough to communicate with adults and breeds self-love and self-respect. Give children the opportunity to voice their own concerns and perspectives on various topics that affect their lives, such as their diet and place of studying for school assignments.
Expectations
Help your kids to understand your expectations for them and thereby better live up to them. Serve as a positive role model of communication for your children as they grow up. This is an important aspect of communicating effectively with children. Effective communication for children also helps children reach their full physical, social, emotional and academic potential.
Significance
The Arkansas Center for Effective Parenting reports that the way adults communicate with their children plays a significant role in the kind of adults children grow up to become themselves. Children who are often scolded or criticized tend to develop poor self images or grow up resenting their parents. These children become easily prone to addiction problems and other destructive (and self-destructive) activities. Communicate messages of love and acceptance to your children to influence them to grow up with healthy self-confidence and a positive self-image.
Considerations
Provide your children with positive affirmations whenever they perform behaviors you desire them to do (such as brushing their teeth in the morning without being reminded). Make sure your affirmations are specific (e.g., do not give them general praise by saying "you're such a good person"). Try to balance the amount of times you provide these specific, positive affirmations. Too much affirmation can cause children to become arrogant, while not enough of it can lead to children developing poor self-esteem. SFHelp.org suggests offering your children affirmations and praise when you genuinely feel appreciative toward them (rather than pretending to feel this way).
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