Family Conversation Expert ~ Here's a Method That Gets Kids Involved
Is "family talk" a dud with your kids? Do they say, "I don't know. Who cares?" or "Not `family talk` again!" Listen to parenting expert, Linda Carlson. She has a method that might work for you.
Linda Carlson
It's easy to create your own "family talk" style game, too---and if you invite kids to submit topics, you're getting them involved up front.
The Family Talk Method:
We all four read at least part of two newspapers every day, and that sparked a lot of conversation when our kids were young. Our older one tended to go on, and on, and on about whatever he'd read or whatever he was researching for school, to the extent that his little sister as a kindergartner would raise her hand and say, "It's my turn to talk now!"
Current events, whether in the neighborhood or in the larger community, often provide an opportunity to discuss values, and I'm sure that as we parents talked about our work and volunteer commitments, our kids absorbed values.
They are 19 and 24 now, and I am sometimes surprised to see how their consideration for others (for elderly relatives, for example) mirrors ours.
"Family Talk" is a topic we here at Parenting Press occasionally discuss in our professional and general interest newsletters. They're described at www.parentingpress.com, and at twitter.com/parentingpress .
What a wonderful outcome! Consideration for others is a great value to teach kids. Thanks for sharing, Linda.
What's Your Method for Getting Your Kids to Talk?
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With warm wishes,
Jean Tracy, MSS
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