Parenting with Kindness

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Positive Parenting FAQs

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Q. How do I make my kids listen to me?

Posted on May 8, 2009 at 1:17 AM

A.  Start by being consistent. By being inconsistent, you will be teaching them something that you do not want to teach.  It is better to break this cycle before your "No" means nothing at all. You can break this habit by biting your tongue and not saying "No" right off the bat.

 

Do this by first taking a breath. Then say "Let me think about it" or "Why do you want this?" Give them time to explain how they see things. You may ask questions or may suggest things that they haven't taken into consideration themselves. Then take all things into consideration and deliver a ruling. Sometimes it takes less than a minute, other times it takes much longer. Sometimes it's "Yes", and sometimes it's "No". Yes, they still like to test the boundaries sometimes, but that's just part of being a healthy kid!

All FAQs answers are copyrighted by Sharon O'Sullivan. Contact me for reprint rights.

Categories: Infants through Kindy-aged, Elementary and Tweens, Teenagers

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