How Your 'Listening Eyes' Connect You with Your Child.

The Parent-Child Bond - A New Revolutionary Approach:

Have you ever found yourself misunderstanding your child, especially when busy? I know I have, and it can be upsetting for children and parents. But there's a new way of thinking and I’ll share it with you today. I call it 'Listening Eyes.'

Words are just one part of the parent-child connection. Here’s the new approach:

Open your 'listening eyes' to notice your child's body language. You'll get a sense of what he's experiencing, thinking, and feeling. It’s a great way for you to enter into a deeper connection.

Today, I will share:

• 3 essential ways to 'Listen with Your Eyes,' using Michael's story.
• 3 benefits when you use this approach.
• 3 fun family activities to practice.

If you're ready to revolutionize your parenting from focusing on busy work to connecting with your child, keep reading.

3 Essential Actions for Your 'Listening Eyes': 

 

'Listening Eyes' Notice His Body

Language.

1. Observe your child's facial expressions, posture, mood, tears, smiles, and more.
2. Put down what you're doing and make eye contact.
3. Invite your child to share his feelings and show him understanding.

Michael's Story

Michael’s story is an example of how 'Listening Eyes' can help you.

Imagine your nine-year-old son, Michael, sitting on the sofa. You see his crossed arms, his tight lips, and his stiff posture.

You're busy paying bills at the dining room table. You wonder, ‘What’s bugging him?’ You say, "Michael, come here. Let's talk."  You put your arm around him and ask, "What happened, Michael?"

You remember the 70%Law. You listen 70% of the time and speak only 30%. As Michael tells you what happened, you listen attentively. When he finishes, you might do some of these things:

1. Ask questions to understand Michael better.
2. Repeat his main points.
3. Ask Michael if he has a solution.
4. Give him a suggestion if he's open.
5. Say, "Thank you for telling me, Michael." 

 Michael’s arms unfold. He breathes evenly, smiles, and says, "Can I help you wash the car today?" You end with a big hug.

 

Your 'Listening Eyes' Started a Deeper Connection.

Can you see how your ‘listening eyes’ helped you give Michael the support he needed? Can you feel how your connection strengthened too?

How Listening Eyes See the Bigger Picture

Are you wondering, "Did I go too far into Michael's personal space? Don’t worry. You aren’t mind-reading or invading Michael’s inner world. Observing his body language and inviting him to talk is a kind act. Michael tells you what he wants you to know. When you listen with your eyes, Michael shows you the bigger picture. 

'Listening Eyes' Offer 3 Communication Benefits: 

1. Closer Connections: When you truly engage and your child knows you care, trust grows.
2. Deeper Empathy: When you sense your child's feelings, closeness grows.
3. Better Understanding: When you see what's behind your child's behavior, your loving influence can grow.

3 Fun Family Activities to Practice "Listening with Your Eyes":

 

'Listening Eyes' Bring Families Together.

 

1. Play "I Spy" by describing an object's different qualities like color, pattern, outline, trim, and material. Pause and ask after each quality, "Who can guess what I see?” This will sharpen how each member's eyes can visualize.
2.  Take turns acting out a story without words. Use gestures, facial expressions, and actions of the characters. Find out how others interpreted your story.
3. Watch a TV ad without sound. Take turns guessing what the actors are saying.

Remember, 'Listening Eyes' are an essential key to better communication. They lessen misunderstandings and increase awareness of your child's inner world and emotions. They create an unbeatable bond of trust and love. The next time your child comes to you, use your 'listening eyes' and make that loving connection.

Make 'Listening' a priority in your family. Listening Works!

Video - Short Clip - 1.11 minutes 

Sometimes pictures do speak 1,000 words. What do you think?

Like this post? Tell me what you think. Please share it with your friends on social media.

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

Conversation starters are perfect for vacations. Children get to speak, and you get to hear what they really think. Your kids get to hear what you think too.

 

"One, Two, Three -GO!"

Time how long each person speaks. One minute is good for starters. 

Rule: No interrupting!

The first speaker picks his conversation from an envelope (see below). No peeking!

 

This child is thinking before he speaks.

The timer starts only when the speaker starts. When the speaker is finished, the group may ask him questions or give their opinions.

He then chooses the next person to speak. (Make sure everyone has a turn.)

If a member wants their turn to be a previous person’s topic, time them for one minute. Then that person picks the next speaker.

 

Mom is thinking whether to answer this question or the

previous one.

Note. The group can use the same conversation opener for everyone. Otherwise, each member can pick their own conversation. .

 

Dad is smiling as he thinks.

Suggestion:

Put the Conversation Starters in an envelope, purse, or backpack. Make them easy to find.

Whether you're going on a trip, a car ride, or a fun night at home, use these conversation openers. They're a great way to feel warm and cozy as a family. Remember, if f your having fun, your doing it right.

Get all 15 conversations starters. Insert code: CAR and download at www.KidsDiscuss.com  - They're FREE!

Like this post? Please comment and share it with your friends on social media.

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

 

How the Family Makes His Dream Come True

August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. He told the crowd he wanted his four little children to be judged by the “content of their character,” not by the color of their skin.  You can make his dream come true.

Today, my new video will share 2 simple activities to teach your children. It promotes judging others in a way, I believe, Dr. King would approve.

Teaching Children To Find the Good in Each Member

First Character Building Activity

Gather your family together once a week. Pick a member's name from a special bowl. Each member tells the person with the name they picked an honest compliment. What's this got to do with judging character and Dr. Martin Luther King?  'Judging' includes the good qualities you see in each other. 

 

"Gabby, I like how nicely we talk to each other. You're

the best sister ever."

Second Character Building Activity 

Each member looks for the good in friends, classmates, and teachers. You'll see in the video how simple it is. Your children pay forward what they learned within your family. Imagine them sharing their experiences at your next family dinner.

 

Toby, your speech about Dr. King was so interesting.

Hopefully friends, classmates and teachers will also spread the good they find in others. Why? Because to 'judge' by looking for the good in others makes both the giver the receiver feel great.

It all starts in the family.

Enjoy this video now.  How Children Promote Dr. Martin Luther King's Dream

Like this post? Please comment and share it with your friends on social media. https://youtu.be/A3uC3JS9yFk

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Get my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

 

How Moody Kids Become Happy Children

Your sulking child won’t talk. You ask yourself:

1. Is she mad at me for saying, ‘No.”
2. Did her brother tease her about the pimple on her chin?
3. Has her best friend dumped her for a new girlfriend?

You can torture yourself or not.

Choose to teach your child good communication skills instead. Skills that help her talk about her problems before painful thoughts grip her mind.

Recycling resentment, hurt, fear, blame, and sadness can become your child’s lifelong habit. Recycling negative thoughts hurts. Talking about problems and solving them feels good.

The following solutions are for both girls and boys.

3 Ways to Rescue Kids from Moodiness

 

Listening Helps Kids Share Their Feelings

      1.Listening

        Good listening by parents builds trust. When children trust parents will hear their problems without arguing or criticizing, they talk.

        It takes many talks to teach children the communication skills they need. By listening well, parents are teaching good communication. Kids will learn to listen in return.

        Find a sample parent/child conversation that’s easy to use at Listening Chats.

2. Repeating Motivational Sayings

 

Repeating Positive Sayings Motivates Kids

        Teach children through repetition. Use motivational thoughts for your child to absorb. Here are a few:

           “The most beautiful smile belongs to those who make others smile” Mahnoor Tahir

          “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”  Mark Twain.         

          “The best sleeping pill is a clear conscience.” Dada J. P. Vaswani

Repeating upbeat motivational quotes helps your child remember them. They become her inner self-talk.

Get 5 more quotes that my mother used to motivate me. I passed them on to my children too. Family Sayings.

3. Creating a Fun Home-life

 

Family Music Night

•  Once a week have a ‘Family Compliment Night.’
•  Help kids ‘Write a Newsletter’ for your expanded family.
• Each night Discuss One Act of Kindness each member did that day.

Pick up 5 more fun events for your family at Bright Attitudes

Conclusion: How to Help Your Moody Child

1. Use conversations to teach good communication skills that solve problems.
2. Repeat motivational quotes for kids to absorb.
3. Put fun events into your family life.

For more in depth ideas go to:

How Parents Turn Dark Moods into Bright Attitudes

Like this post? Please comment and share it with your friends on social media.

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

 

Chore Coupons Are Loved by Parents

PARENTS, IF YOUR CHILD COULD GIVE LOVING GIFTS WITH NO-COST COUPONS, would he do it?

Today’s parenting gift is a set of coupons. Your youngster, of any age, can give them to those he loves. In fact, you could use them too.

Types of gift certificates include work coupons, fun activities, and caring compliments. Simply put, your child can fill his awards for others with helpful chores, games to play together, or a list of loving compliments.

3 Rules for Caring Coupons - Your Child Must:

1. Be able to do them.
2. Promise to do them within a time limit.
3. Give something the receiver would like.

Who Will Receive Your Child’s Gift Awards?

It’s up to your child and here are 5 possibilities:

• Parents
• Siblings
• Grandparents
• Relatives
• Friends

Brainstorm with Your Child What She Could Give.

 

Giving Gift Coupons with a Loving Spirit

Write down some possibilities she’d like to do depending on her age:

Work coupons could include:

• Fold laundry
• Fix a dinner salad
• Weed a flower bed

Fun activities could include:

• Play a board game together
• Create a treasure hunt
• Bake cookies

Loving words could include:

• Drawing a picture of the receiver. Then add loving words in the title. 
• Writing down 5 loving compliments about the receiver.
• Asking the receiver to tell her 3 stories about the recipient's childhood. This could include coupons for Mom, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa.

Brainstorming includes gifts your child can offer like teaching magic tricks, playing a musical instrument, or special art work. Whatever your child has a special talent for could be a gift.

 

Download Your Coupons

To receive your coupons, Click Here and insert the code word: 

GIFTS

Then Download and Copy as Many Coupons as You Like.

Please let me know if this was helpful by commenting below:

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

 

Find Out What a Smile Can Do

 

Use These Parenting Exercises

Look, as a parent you are very busy. All you need is more parenting suggestions that take time. Don't worry. The actions in this parenting presentation are so easy and take very little time. They'll make raising your family easier because your children will feel happier. When kids are happy they tend to cooperate more. The benefits give you and your kids a win-win.

Pick up this brief SlideShare at: Raising a Joyful Family or at LinkedIn:

https://www.slideshare.net/JeanTracyMSS/raising-a-joyful-family-4-simple-parenting-activities/1

Feel Free to copy the transcript below the short presentation. Add it to your 3-hole binder to use whenever you need a reminder. It's yours.

Start today and please share!

Please let me know if this was helpful by commenting below:

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

FUN DISCUSSIONS WITH KIDS PROMOTE FAMILY UNITY!

Praise or criticism, which motivates kids to do their best? Too much criticism often makes people bitter not better. Research advises us to give 3-6 compliments for every negative comment because kind remarks help lessen the sting from complaints.

If you must disapprove of your child’s behavior, there are 3 rules:

1. Do it privately.
2. Be brief, no lectures.
3. Suggest a positive behavior or solution.

Goal for Giving Praise

You don’t want your child to live for other people’s approval. A nickname for pure approval seekers is "Love Slob."No one wants to hear their child called a "Love Slob."

Your goal in using praise is to increase your child’s inner motivation which means they do their best because that’s their positive self-image. It’s who they know they are.

Use our gift today which includes the poem, “I Caught You Being Good Today,” by downloading, discussing, and getting your children to answer the 7 discussion questions.

If you do, you’ll find out:

1. How criticism feels to your children.
2. Whether they notice each others mistakes more than their good qualities.
3. What would motivate them the most, criticisms or compliments.
4. If they’d like to focus on the good in each other more often.
5. How they’d like to share with each member the good they see.

"You walked the dog around the block."

You’ll also have access to the short video, Confident Kids – A Powerful Parenting Tool.

Pick up your parenting present at: Subscribers' Gifts by inserting the Code Word:

Good

I suggest you keep this parenting gift in a folder to use whenever you need it.

 Please let me know if this was helpful by commenting below:

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

 

THIS SLIDESHARE PRESENTATION SHOWS PARENTS EXACTLY WHAT TO DO

Many busy parents want fun-loving activities for building character and raising caring children. This brief SlideShare gives parents an easy way to teach kids to notice the good in each other. When youngsters are trained to search for, remember, and tell each other compliments, everybody wins.

Those who receive praise love hearing it. Those who give praise develop a positive mindset toward others. Positive thinkers live happier lives. They attract friendships and spread good will to others.

It is hoped that this activity will lessen tattling, blaming, and whining.

Below this SlideShare you can copy the short script to use as a guide. I suggest you add it to a binder to use whenever you need it.

Please watch it and share it on your social media sites.

https://goo.gl/F2rRDF

Please let me know if this was helpful by commenting below:

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

 

SHARING COMPLIMENTS PROMOTES FAMILY LOVE!

 If you want to encourage family unity, give genuine praise. Here's a weekly practice that each family member can easily do. Once a week each parent and child puts his name in a small box. Place it in the middle of the dinner table. Each member picks a name and tells what positive behavior they noticed in that person during the past week.

In this parenting gift you will find 7 honest compliments given by each member of a family team. Read them aloud to use as an example of what to say to each other.

Ask your family if they’d like to do this activity once a week. Vote on which day is best for everyone. Then make it a habit.

I suggest you put this family gift idea in a binder to use as a reminder for making your excellent family even greater.

Pick it up by inserting the word:

CATCH

at

Kids Discuss

or

http://kidsdiscuss.com/subscriber-gifts.asp

Please let me know if this was helpful by commenting below:

Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

******

Sign up for my FREE Parenting News and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

If you're a parent and you're looking for something fun to do with your kids, try this. It's from Disney's Family Fun website.

The wreath can symbolize the circle of friendship, which makes this decorative sun catcher just the gift for almost anyone on your family's list.

Materials

• 16- to 20-gauge silver-colored craft wire
• Wire cutters
• Translucent plastic beads (with center holes large enough to thread the wire through)

• Ribbon
• Fishing line or monofilament

Instructions

1. Cut the wire to a length that will form a loop the size of the wreath you plan to make plus 6 inches (16-gauge wire works best for larger wreaths).
2. Curl one end to keep the beads from sliding off, then thread on the beads from the opposite end.
3. Twist the wire ends together to close the circle and wrap the loose ends around the wire between the beads.
4. Tie on a ribbon and a loop of fishing line or monofilament for a hanger.

To get more family fun ideas go to:

http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/homemade-christmas-gifts/christmas-gifts-kids-can-make/bead-wreath-661813/

Parents, it's your turn to take the stage:

What are your opinions about this blog post or your suggestions for helping your kids have fun during the holidays? Please answer in the comment link below.

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Newsletter at http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/ and receive 80 fun activities to play with your kids.