Do you regularly get together to talk with your family about problems or the day's events?Want to improve your family's communication skills? Try these simple steps.
Create opportunities for talking.
And if you do find yourself in the car running from place to place, turn off the cell phones, and use that opportunity to catch up on the day's activities.
Insist on family meals.
In addition to bringing everyone together for a wrap-up(总结) of the day's activities, insist on a few standing family meals. Use the family dinner table as an opportunity to share what's going on in each other's lives.
Spend time with each of your children and let them know that they matter. Older teens might enjoy going out for a hamburger or a coffee at their favorite coffee place. Younger children often enjoy going to the supermarket, especially when you let them select their favorite food.
Listen more and speak less.
When trying to improve any relationship, listening is far more important than talking. It makes kids feel respected.
Children feel comfortable sharing their problems with their parents, reducing the risk of peers having a negative influence on their lives. Parents remain connected with each other and their children, strengthening the family bond. And the whole family develops a communication style that can help improve the quality of relationships outside the home.
A. Think twice about where you go.
B. Go on individual dates with your children.
C. Do you want to understand your children better?
D. Make time for talking by reducing the number of unnecessary activities your family is involved in.
E. When it comes to family communication, listen four times longer than you speak.
F. Conversation is the key to any strong relationship, and it is especially true of family communication.
G. Maintaining positive family communication benefits your family in many ways.
