This post is part of a series called "How to Speak Kid," about how to talk to your kids so that they'll (hopefully) listen, do what you ask, and grow up to be pretty cool people while they're at it. I'm not promising magic, but hopefully it'll give you some new tools for your parenting toolbox. As a mother of 3 and a full-time teacher, I'm always on the lookout myself for new ways to manage behavior and understand kids!
Today's
Tip: Ask your kids about the "sweet" and "sour" of their day to hear more about what's important to them.
There's a great quote by Catherine Wallace that you've probably heard: If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little,
they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all
of it has always been big stuff.
I once read a tip that I really liked about talking to your kids about their day. It said to ask them every day for a "sweet" and a "sour." A sweet, of course, is something good that happened to them during the day, something that made them happy. A sour, on the other hand, is something that made them feel hurt, sad, or upset.
I find this to be more effective than asking, "How was your day?" or, "What did you learn at school?" It's interesting to hear the little things that make them happy, and also the types of things that they view as negative in their day.
Give it a try!
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2 comments:
We do this at our house but we call it "roses and thorns". Can be a great insight into what our daughter is thinking :)
I like "roses and thorns" too! It really is such a neat way to get insight into what their little minds are thinking about!
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