Parent/Carer Workshops Feedback
On Wednesday 26thSeptember 2018 the parent/carer workshop focus was on ‘Improving communication’
If you missed the workshop, you may like to see the information below.
The workshop looked at:
- What is communication and why is it important in parenting?
- How communication supports managing children’s behaviour.
- Containment and reciprocity.
- Facts and research on communication
- Strategies and ideas to take home.
- Basic Principles
- Let the child know that you are interested and involved and that you will help when needed.
- Turn off the television or put the newspaper down when your child wants to converse
- Avoid taking a phone call when the child has something important to tell you
- Unless other people are specifically meant to be included, hold conversations in privacy. The best communications between you and the child will occur when others are not around.
- Embarrassing the child or putting him/her on the spot in front of others will lead only to resentment and hostility, not good communication.
- Don’t tower over your child. Physically get down to the child’s lever then talk.
- If you are very angry about a behaviour or an incident, don’t attempt communication until you regain your cool, because you cannot be objective until then. It is better to stop, settle down, and talk to the child later.
- If you are tired you will have to make an extra effort to be an active listener. Genuine active listening is hard work and is very difficult when your mind and body are already tired.
- Listen carefully and politely. Don’t interrupt the child when he/she is trying to tell his/her story. Be as courteous to your child as you would be to your best friend.
- Don’t ask why, but do ask what happened
- If you have knowledge of the situation, confront the child with the information that you know or have been told.
- Assist the child in planning some specific steps to the solution
- Show that you accept the child himself, regardless of what he/she has or has not done
- Reinforce the child for keeping communication open. Do this by accepting him/her and praising his/her efforts to communicate
- If a child lives with criticism, he/she learns to condemn
- If a child lives with hostility, he/she learns to fight
- If a child lives with ridicule, he/she learns to be shy
- If a child lives with fear, he/she learns to be apprehensive
- If a child lives with shame, he/she learns to feel guilty
- If a child lives with tolerance, he/she learns to be patient
- If a child lives with encouragement he/she learns to be confident
- If a child lives with acceptance, he/she learns to love
- If a child lives with recognition he/she learns it is good to have a goal
- If a child live with honesty he/she learns what truth is
- If a child lives with fairness he/she learns justice
- If a child lives with security he/she learns to have faith in him/herself and those about him/her
