How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (The How To Talk Series)

“Children don’t need to have their feelings agreed with; they need to have them acknowledged.”

“Some children can tell you why they’re frightened, angry, or unhappy. For many, however, the question “Why?” only adds to their problem. In addition to their original distress, they must now analyze the cause and come up with a reasonable explanation. Very often children don’t know why they feel as they do. At other times they’re reluctant to tell... See more

“Statements like these say to the child, “I don’t like what you did, and I expect you to take care of it.” We hope that later on in life, as an adult, when he does something he regrets, he’ll think to himself, “What can I do to make amends—to set things right again?,” rather than “What I just did proves I’m an unworthy person who deserves to be pun... See more

“Finally, are most of my moments with my child spent asking her to “do things?” Or am I taking out some time to be alone with her—just to “be together”?”

“The attitude behind your words is as important as the words themselves.”

“When we give children advice or instant solutions, we deprive them of the experience that comes from wrestling with their own problems.”