Communicating With Your Kids

Here at Little Rockies Pediatric Dentistry, we know how important good communication with your child can be. Not only will communicating effectively with your children help them to sharpen their own communication skills, but it can also help make parenting more enjoyable! No matter the age of your child, learning how to talk and listen effectively will help build respect and self esteem.

Below are a few basic principles of effectively communicating with your kids:

• Don’t make your child crane their neck to speak to you. Get down on their level and make eye contact when speaking with them.
• Turn off the TV, put away your cell phone, or stop what you’re doing if your child comes to you with something important. Not only will this let your child know you’re listening, but they’ll feel like the most important thing to you!
• Never embarrass your child or put them on the spot. This will make them feel as if they can’t trust you.
• Don’t yell at your child. We know this is so much easier said than done, but it won’t fix behaviors and your child is more likely to tune you out. If you're angry, wait until you’re cooled down enough to speak calmly to your child about their behavior.
• Listen carefully and be polite. Don’t interrupt your child or correct him or her. Treat your child as if you were listening to your spouse or a friend and show respect.
• Tailor your conversation and vocabulary to the child’s age and maturity level. Talking down to a child will make them feel stupid, but talking over a child will cause them to shut down and stop listening when they don’t understand.
• Praise your child’s efforts to communicate. This will go a long way towards keeping the lines of communication open and encouraging your child to talk and listen.

We want the parents of our patients to feel comfortable talking to their kids! For more information on keeping your kids healthy and safe, please contact Little Rockies Pediatric Dentistry! Our office is located in Parker, CO!