Communicating during FUN!

It is no secret that communicating with your children is of utmost importance as they grow up.  Being able to talk about the "hard topics" such as boys/girls, making choices about drugs and alcohol, and staying on the "straight and narrow" is essential to young people's healthy development.  But how do you start this if its not happening already?
What if your child grunts when you ask how their day was?  What if they shrug when you question what they learned at school? Don't give up!

Here are some ideas:

• Ask questions that will generate more than one word responses.  Then LISTEN, and accept feelings.  If your child feels that you will talk over them or suggest they don't feel a certain way, they will shut down.  Mirror back to them their feelings.  So for example, ask "What did you like least about school today"; listen for their response; say "wow, so that was a hard moment huh?  What did you do next?".

• Communicate in ways that work well for you. Texting sometimes gets a bad rap, but so did the telephone years ago. Lots of kids today text—many of them, with their parents. If it works for your family, go for it. The medium you use matters less than how much you truly listen.

• Do something else too. Some people don’t like “just talking.” They do better when they’re shooting hoops, putting together a puzzle, hiking in the mountains, or doing a service project together while they talk. Determine if your child is the type who enjoys talking while engaging in an activity; if so, then engage them in an activity and begin talking.

• Don't be afraid to have FUN!  Sometimes the first steps to opening up communication is to just have some fun together.  Prime Climb in Wallingford offers low cost indoor rock climbing, why not give it a go?  EMPOWER in Middletown offers family adventures that will certainly attract the attention of young people.