We are continuing the help you as a parent here on KiddyCharts, with some extremely useful 15-min techniques from Joanna Fortune thanks to her excellent books covering parenting tips that you can do in bite-sized chunks. Simple little tips that make big differences. She has a book for ages 0-7, and these tips are taken from the one covering the 8-12 age range. Today. we are looking at how to have difficult conversations with your kids.
This post includes Amazon affiliate links.
This list are sharing gives you ten really key pointers for having those difficult conversations within your kids, it could be anything:
- Talking to the about something that you know they won’t like, e.g. reducing their screen time,
- Chatting to them about an awkward topic for you, for example relationships, sex, condoms, periods, or anything else that you personally might find a bit weird OR that they might. My kids would visibly cringe when I started talking about these kinds of topics. Quick tip here – get this book on puberty from Dr Christian to help. It is perfect, and covers everything they need to know. Most importantly for us, it covers gender and homosexuality as well, and
- Just talking to them AT ALL when they approach the teens as you can feel a little bit like you are encroaching on their personal space. It is hard for kids as they change from kids to adults. There is a lot going on, they want to be independent, but still need you. Even though they would like to think that they didn’t. For older kids, why won’t my teenager listen to me, is a good book to help even more.
Here are the tips from the book on how to have those difficult conversations with your kids:
- Use your active listening skills and watch out for those door slammers.
- Talk often with your child to bring out positive opinions, ideas and behaviours by using an affirmative tone and body language.
- Treat your child with the same respect you would have them treat you.
- Remember that your tone of voice is extremely important. Yelling can shut down the listener.
- Plan ahead. Think through your main talking points and key messages you wish to convey in the conversation.
- Be precise and detailed about what you expect and have agreed from the discussion.
- Discuss some things together on a one-to-one basis and some things with the whole family.
- ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ doesn’t work. Modelling is the best way of learning. You are your child’s model and they will emulate your behaviours.
- Never shut your child out to show that you disapprove of their behaviour, statements or beliefs.
- Be clear that difficult conversations are not a one-way system in your family and that your child can raise a difficult topic with you too. In fact, you should encourage this.
We know it isn’t easy to do all, or indeed any of these things. It IS worth it though; give it a bash though, and if you can’t manage them, don’t beat yourself up though.
As always with everything parenting, we do the best we can, and that’s good enough. We don’t have to be perfect. Good enough is totally fine.
Click on the circular image below to download the checklist!
If you are looking for other resources to help with parenting, then do check out some of the parenting tips that we have on the site. We do have a lot of other checklists that are worth checking out too.
Parenting thoughts on KiddyCharts
More thoughts and tips on parenting from us - we hope that you find these helpful.
How to be an active listener for your kids: Includes checklist
How to help you to become a more active listener to your kids, and so improve your relationship with them.
Printable chore charts: 4 tips for starting chores at any age
Ideas for helping with chore charts, and using them at any age. We've got a few chore charts on the site of course.
How to help your kids mental health and wellbeing #31DaysOfLearning
We love these exercises for you to do with your kids to help their wellbeing. Why not try them out?
How to help your kids face their fears
This is a wonderful printable from the lovely Becky Goddard-Hill to help kids to learn to deal with their fears.
If you are after articles generally on talking to your kids. Do nip over to these fellow kid sites. There is a lot of great information out there, and it isn’t all just from us 😉
Talking to your kids - Other articles
If you want more info on having difficult conversations, or just chatting to your kids. Here you go!
When Kids Don't Want to Talk About What They Did Wrong
Some great pointers about what to do if your child want chat about what they did that they probably know wasn't what they should have done...
Struggling to get your kids to open up?
10 tips to help your kids to open up to you if they don't want to talk.
How to Talk With Your Children about Difficult Topics
Another article with more tips about talking to your kids about hard topics.
Phew – we hope all that chatter didn’t make you too tired!
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Thanks for visiting,
Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!