Raising children is very serious business that should not be taken lightly. Although many take this responsibility serious, there are many others who do not. Building relationship must incorporate communication and listening plays a critical role. It is defined as “to give close attention with the purpose of hearing; to give ear; to hearken.” .
A single mom arrives home from work one evening greeted by her 3 children however, the 5 year old follows her through the house making every effort to get her attention. Mom is preoccupied and at first does not notice the child. Finally, the little girl stands directly in front of her mother and shouts: “Mama, please listen to me!” At that moment her mother notice the obvious stress on her face and asked what is wrong. The 5 year old explains that she is taking a test at school the next day in order to be promoted to first grade. She is afraid that she might fail. Her mother take the time to build her little girl’s confidence and sealed it with a bible verse that her daughter is able to relate to. The verse reads, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. The 5 year old is instructed by her mother to quote the verse before she take the test. She not only past the test but made the second highest score in her class. Had her mother not taken a moment to listen, the results may have been catastrophic in the child’s life.
Parents are primarily responsible for building confidence which also assist in character development in their children. When children are pre-school age, start develoing listening skills. It involves attentively hearing what is said as well as what is not shared. Ask questions to bring clarification when it is not clear what your child is attempting to convey.
Body language is another important part of listening. Parents should be the primary people in their children’s live to practice proper body language. What does your language resembles?
Are you anxious
Do you pat your foot
Are your arms folded
Are you rolling your eyes in the top of your head
Is your face friendly or cold
One of the difficult skills to learn is active listening, in which you listen to our children sympathetically and communication goes two ways. According to the paper ‘Listening to our children,’ published by the U.K.-based National
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, children who are properly listened to are usually, well-adjusted and self-confident, while those whose needs are ignored may be withdrawn or difficult or suffering from low self-esteem.”
The old saying goes “practice makes perfect.” Developing listening skills is a process. The sooner parents start the earlier it become.
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