Listen first, speak second

Your children want to communicate with you. Communicating is how, as human beings, we make connections. It’s how we learn, how we grow, how we become a part of the world. As their parent, you are the one person they will want to share this journey with. “We all need someone who understands,” says infant specialist Magda Gerber.

But over time we can sometimes lose this connection, and it often happens at a moment when it’s most important to be able to hear what your children have to say. In an increasingly digital world, experts warn that children’s ability to communicate is being put under pressure, and that now is the time to start developing communication habits and skills that will last a lifetime. Parenting and childrearing expert Ron Taffel talks about what he calls “the second family” — peer group, pop culture and the internet — and says that now, more than ever, we must be able to support our children in this challenging world. “Knowing specifics about preschool through to high-school dramas, fears or worries makes a profound difference in being an authoritative parent who can guide kids through an increasingly tough academic and social world,” magazine recently.