7 Steps to Easier Communication With Your Teenagers
Are you concerned about the level of communication you have with your children? It’s frustrating when you can’t seem to connect – especially about the things that matter!
On the other hand, effective communication enables you to understand each other and strengthens your bond. Wouldn’t you love to have this level of communication?
Luckily, there are steps you can take to strengthen your communication.
Following these tips can help you more easily communicate with your children:
Keep an open-door policy.
Your children will be more willing to talk if you make it clear that you’re eager to listen to them. In addition, an open-door approach means that you’re not too busy or stressed to deal with their issues. Children need to know that they can come to you with any problem and feel confident that you’re willing to listen and talk when needed.
Listen
Listening to your children without talking or interrupting shows your kids that you care what they think, and they’ll share more with you.
- Sometimes, your kids may need to vent or share their thoughts.
- They may want some feedback at other times, but you’ll need to listen first to determine their need.
Ask questions
- Questions can show your children that you’re paying attention to them and care.
- Ask appropriate questions that are relevant to the conversation.
- Ask open questions appropriate for your child’s developmental level to spark more conversation. Try not to stump your kids or make them feel hurt. Avoid questions that make them feel defensive.
Use easy conversations to strengthen your bond.
- In some discussions, you don’t have to offer advice. Instead, your children may want to talk and discuss their day.
- Your kids may also want to solve some issues independently without your interference.
It’s important to use communication to build your relationship with your child, and sharing-only conversations support this endeavor.
Use positive language
When you are with your children, your language during a confrontation can affect them. For example, they can tell if you are sarcastic, mean, hostile, or bored. But, on the other hand, they can also tell when you’re kind and loving.
Your language can affect the entire conversation and its direction. How you react to your child’s words can show them that you care.
It’s crucial to use positive language with your kids and show them that words matter.
Avoid anger
- Your child may share information that makes you angry. But anger can stop a conversation or lead to a fight instantly. Anger can also make your children afraid to talk to you.
- If you want to strengthen your communication, it’s crucial to learn to control your anger.
- Your anger shows your children that you’re emotional. It makes sharing complex information or issues much harder for them, and they may even avoid you.
Give children space. Nagging your children to talk more usually doesn’t work.
- Avoid feeling like they have every instant to share every moment of their days with you.
- Your children may need space, and communication can benefit from it.
- They also need room to develop independently, grow, and change. As your children grow, their communication will change too. Try to go with the flow.
You can make communication a more comfortable, more effective process with your children. Practice these tips, and as your communication grows, so will your relationship with your kids.
