The single most important strategy in regard to listening is to connect to your child in their world before you ask them to do something in your world. A child has to feel seen before they’re able to switch out of something that feels good to them (drawing or playing with clay, for example) and fulfill a request that’s a priority for you (like cleaning up the art supplies). Feeling seen is a powerful bonding tool, and feeling close to someone motivates us to want to cooperate with them. When we verbally acknowledge what our child is doing in the moment, it’s as if we’re saying, “I see you: you
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