Relational Talk with Your Kids
As a school counsellor, I have worked with many parents to help them own their power as parents and connect with their teenagers. Many times, parents come to me to "fix" their teen and "solve" their teen's problems. They ask me to talk to them and tell them what they should be doing. This is really an outdated and ineffective way of dealing with our kids. Instead, we should be practicing relational parenting . This style of parenting feels good and is much more effective in getting our kids to feel supported and to make good decisions. For many parents, it is difficult to remember to be relational because we get caught up in fear. Our fear stops us from really hearing our kids. If we want to be effective parents, we need to focus on loving our children and not on the fear we feel. Here is a simple way to build relationship, problem solve with your child, and reduce our fears. It's call Ask, Listen, Question, and Respond. 1. ASK Ask your child about w