How to Get Your Child to Listen

What You’ll Hear:

Many years ago when we had 6 children under the age of 8, we dropped them off at my parents so Michael and I could go out for a few hours.

When we went to go pick them up, my dad met us at the door and told me, “I don’t count.”

I asked him what he meant, and he explained to me that when he tells the children to do something (stop being loud, or running around or get your shoes on) he expects them to do it immediately.

Without question and without counting to 3 or 5 or some other arbitrary number.

One child, in particular, was a frequent offender. And apparently when my dad was disciplining him he said, “You didn’t count.”

I had bought into the “counting until they comply” notion of communication.

And so, without realizing it, I had trained my son to NOT listen to me until I reached the number 5.  Which then began to extend as he got older.

There are important techniques to use that will overwhelmingly help you, but it is the human condition to do what you want and not do what you don’t want.

Our job, as parents, is to give our children the appropriate guardrails and tools so they CAN make the best decisions to learn to listen to us.

Five Tools to Get Your Child to Listen

#1  You and your husband must get on the same page with regards to communication with your children

#2 Make sure you have your child’s attention before you say anything

#3 Say What you Mean and Mean What You Say

#4  Make Statements not Questions

#5  Follow through with Consequences

BONUS*** You’ll have to listen 😉

Make sure to listen to the whole podcast as I carefully explain each tool. And the bonus….unexpected gold!

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