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The Champion, Thursday, December 4, 2014
www.championnewspaper.com
Communicating With Your Child
Sam Erickson
It’s been said that men
and women have trouble
communicating, but if
there is any gap in family
communication, in most families
it’s most pronounced between
parent and child. Young
children are just learning to use
language (maybe even words)
to communicate, while older
children, teenagers in particular,
are looking to separate from
the family in order to establish
their own identity. These are
times when conversations are
most critical, as children are
beginning to make decisions
on their own. Developing
good communication with your
children when they are young
can pay dividends throughout
their life.
Don’t be afraid to start
conversations with your child.
Many parents assume that by
telling their children they are
available to talk will allow their
children to come forward to
them with a problem. This is
not always the case, however,
particularly as kids grow older.
They may be embarrassed or
afraid of the way their parents
will respond. If you begin this
kind of initiation early, kids will
get used to it and accept it as
the way things are. If you wait
until the teen years or when
things start getting bad, you
might be seen as intrusive and
be shut out even further.
Respect your child and validate
their feelings. Sometimes
children can get worked up
over the littlest of things. If
parents are dismissive of their
children’s feelings when small
things are on the line, children
are more likely to keep big
problems hidden later on. If
you don’t see a problem where
your child does, explain to
them where you are coming
from. This will show the child
you respect them even if you
disagree with them. All people
like to be respected.
Spending time together is
probably the best way to
foster communication. If you
travel together-to Japan, the
Grand Canyon or to the park-
you’ll start to see each other
in different ways. You will
have to help one another out,
building a level of trust that
can be useful later. If you go
out together from time to time
and eat dinner together every
night, you can start to establish
basic communication. Shared
movies or books can lead to
discussions of important issues
that might be facing your child.
This basic communication will
serve as the foundation for
more important things later,
like college, dating and what it
means to grow into an adult.
Good communication
between children and parents
is essential for a healthy
relationship. You have to
understand one another to
move the relationship forward.
The main keys to establishing
good communication
are to start early, initiate
conversations and build
common ground you can use
later on. Kids are looking for
the same things parents are,
healthy, happy relationships,
and good communication
can make that a lot easier for
everyone.
Communication
Made Easy
Tresa Erickson
Parents of young children know how frustrating
communicating with them can be. Determining what an infant
wants can be mind-boggling, especially after you change
and feed them and they’re still crying. Determining what a
toddler wants can be even more frustrating. While some may
be able to point to what they want, others can’t and will just
stand there grunting and fussing until you figure it out. Wish
you could make it easier to communicate with your child? You
can, if you are willing to teach them sign language.
Sign language is not just for the hearing impaired. It also
works with toddlers who can understand language but may
not be able to speak. Toddlers generally have the ability to
understand language well before they can speak. Most one-
year-olds, for example, know what “no” means and will back
away from whatever they are doing when they hear it. They
also know their name and many other words and phrases.
Any child that understands language and has basic motor
skills can learn to sign. Most are ready when they can wave
bye-bye, shake a rattle and identify toys.
Numerous sources are available for parents interested in
teaching their children to sign. Generally, parents start with
a few basic signs and use them in context. They may use
the sign to eat every time the toddler sits down at the table
and the sign to drink every time the toddler takes their sippy
cup. Once the toddler learns these signs, parents may move
on to other signs, adding to their child’s signing vocabularies
as they see fit. Signing, of course, should never supersede
speech. Once a toddler begins to talk, parents should
encourage the behavior and sign less.
For toddlers that cannot yet speak, signing opens up a whole
new world to them. They can make their needs and wants
known, reducing frustration and leading to a better grasp
of language. Signing stimulates cognitive function, leading
toddlers to talk earlier and develop larger vocabularies.
Children taught to sign often become better readers and have
slightly higher IQs than those who don’t.
Parents also benefit from teaching their toddlers to sign. They
know what their child needs or wants, reducing frustration.
More importantly, they get a glimpse into what their child is
thinking, allowing them to form a bond with their child and
making for better times all around.