Parenting Skills

What is communication? How does communicating relate to parenting? Communication is any sharing of meaning between two or more people. Communication is important to positive parenting because it helps parents be a guide to their children and communication helps parents understand their children better. How can financial issues affect parenting?

Financial issues can limit time spent together family-wise; children may have to spend a lot of time at home alone or unsupervised and parents may come home exhausted and frustrated which may cause negative interactions. How does negative communication differ from positive communication? Positive communication is all about making the child the center of your attention, when communicating with their child, the parent listens to them and only them. They listen to their children attentively and respectfully. Negative communication is the opposite. Parents are usually closed off with their children and within their conversations with their children. How can divorce affect children?

Divorce is very hard on everyone in the family. It is stressful for the parents but also for the children. Aside from a death in the family, divorce is one of the most stressful events for a family. Divorce can impact the way a family communicates with one another and how they relate to one another. Children under the age of five may have more frequent temper tantrums, trouble sleeping, and they may feel more separation anxiety. School aged children may experience sadness, guilt, and anger, they may also become disinterested in school and can develop phobias. Teens are likely to develop insecurities, feel sadness, and other emotions; they are also likely to use and abuse drugs and alcohol, engage in risky behaviors such as criminal activity, skipping school etc. What are three tips that parents can use to improve communication with their children? Parents can make their child the focus of their attention, they can get down to their child’s level physically, delay a conversation if they are angry so they do not say anything that will be regretted in the future, listen carefully and respectfully, and help their child find solutions to problems of their own.