Communication is very important in any relationship. Whether it be parent to child, husband to wife, teacher to parent, or sibling to sibling. How are your communication skills? Are you known to reach out first? Do you initiate the conversation in any situation? The number two is my favorite number because it takes two people to communicate, share, love, and have a relationship. When you’re communicating with your child, express to them that it’s just you and them. Let them know that you HEAR them, that their voice is being HEARD.
Sometimes it can be hard for a child to open up, and share what may be concerning them or what’s on their minds. One thing for sure is you can’t force it out on them, but you can be there for them. Being there for them can simply be sitting beside them, asking how they are feeling, or simply saying “ I love you”. If your child is not very vocal when it comes to sharing their feelings, create a feelings chart! A feelings chart can resemble a traffic light. Green means he or she is feeling happy, yellow means they are sad, and red is angry.. Allow them to indicate which color they are feeling. Give them time to express why they chose that specific color.
Another way to have open and healthy communication is to create a mason jar full of topics or questions. Allow the jar to be filled with questions or topics YOU both feel comfortable discussing or answering. No one likes answering uncomfortable questions or discussing uncomfortable topics. Everyone should feel free to expand or not expand on a topic/question.
But, always in your conversations, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in these moments. Ask Him to create a safe space where you all can freely share from your hearts. The Holy Spirit is an excellent communicator. He speaks with us daily; He teaches and shows us which way to go, even in our conversations. The Holy Spirit will tell you when and what to speak, how to say it, and when to listen. Just as the Holy Spirit is speaking, we too have to listen. When your child is speaking, make sure you are listening.
To create a feelings chart you will need the following:
- black construction paper
- Markers
- Red, green, and yellow circles.
To create a conversation jar you will need the following:
- Mason jar of any size
- Colored sticky notes
- Pens
While you are creating both of these COMMUNICATION tools, create with peace. You are a great parent! Keep going! I love you!
