Most parents will argue that one of the biggest challenges faced in parenting is getting their children to listen. For many of these parents, no amount of raised voices or threats of reprimand or punishment of one form or the other can get their kids to listen. Though saddening, it begs the question, is there something that parents can do differently to influence the behavior of their children? In other words, are there parental habits and behavioral tweaks that could positively impact their children if parents took that step?
In this article, you will learn that sometimes, to get your kids to listen, all you have to do is to change your approach to parenting and attention-seeking from children. At first, it will be difficult for you to do some of these things, but the truth is that once implemented, the changes in your home will make everyone happy. Keep in mind that young kids have a hard time following directions, and you need a lot of patience to get a child to follow directions. It isn’t impossible to maximize your child’s listening. All you need to do is to make some changes.
What should you change to get your children to finally listen?
- Offer some assistance
Often preschool-going kids won’t follow directions, but not because you have the most defiant child in your hands, but because he/she probably needs your assistance. So, in as much as your little one wishes to follow your instructions, they aren’t that well developed or have the skills to do what you ask of them. Most kids will wander off or look like they are ignoring you when they need help, and though this could send you off the rails, you might want to take some deep breaths before exploding. Once you’ve calmed down, get down to their level, make (maintain) contact, then ask what he or she is having trouble with. Most of the time, kids will tell you when they are unable to do something, but even when they don’t, you may want to ask if they need help doing what you’d asked. Take time to show and explain what you need from them, don’t rush the process, and talk to them compassionately. The next time, they’ll do what is asked easily.
- Lead by example
Besides asking to help, your child might listen better and communicate effectively if you lead by example. Again, kids have largely underdeveloped brains, and they need to be trained on everything patiently. If you need your child to do something like putting away their toys and asking them doesn’t seem to work, you may want to lead the way. Ask him to join you and place the toys in the right place, asking him/ her to do the same. For most kids, life is more fun when they don’t have to do things alone. Also, make that activity a routine; for example, teach him/ her to put away their toys before bath time. You’ll notice that he or she will have an easier time doing what’s asked after you’ve helped them for some time, and after some time, that activity will turn into a habit, and you won’t have to ask him/ her again.
Remember that your kids learn the same way you learn to fix the TV after watching tutorials on why your LG TV is not connecting to WiFi.
- Watch Yourself
Sometimes, kids are resistant to you and what you say, not because they don’t want to do what is asked of them but because of your delivery. One of the things you will learn over time is that kids also wish to be spoken to with respect, and that means that you may want to use a more respectful tone next time you want them to do something. Barking commands with your hands on the hips will not always work, which is why you need to switch to a less confrontational posture and a more neutral tone. This also means using a lot of
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