What if I ask you how is your parent-child communication and you have no idea what I am talking about?
The bond that parents share with their children is very complex. It is full of mixed emotions, feelings, values, love, care, and whatnot. And in this, communication plays a major role. It affects the behavior of your child to a great extent.
Some parents are very open and assertive with their kids while others try to maintain a certain gap between them and their kids. Some are excessively caring while others believe in letting loose. This tug of the war is never ending.
Whatever be the case, each parent wants their child to ace in every challenge and aspect of their life. And to do so, kids need to be on open terms with their parents hence the important thing is- is your parent-child communication healthy? If you are dubious about it, continue reading.
What is the parent-child communication barrier?
Communication is basically the expression of feelings and desires. Children come up to their parents for conveying their needs, desires, or for expressing their feelings over a certain matter. But what if they are not able to do so? They will either hide things or may feel insecure about their existence and about the intensity of your affection towards them. This then is called to be a parent-child communication barrier.
When the communication between the parent and child is inadequate or not strong and open, children tend to drift away their attention, looking for alternative sources that can understand them. And the chances are that they get hooked by potential negative and wrong sources of information.
When children learn inappropriate ways of thinking and behaving, they will depict the same in their actions. They will either start hiding things from you or will become very aggressive and may even misbehave with adults.
How can I remove the parent-child communication barrier?
Check the point highlighted below to know how you can work to break the ice and remove the parent-child communication barrier.
Keep calm and listen to your child
We as parents sometimes are so busy in our own matters that we do not listen to what our cold has to say. Try to understand it this way. Suppose you are on a call with someone and your child wants to share something. You turn down your child either by ignoring it or by yelling at it.
Such an action can leave a deep impact on your child’s mind thus stopping it to share anything with you the next time. Therefore, maintaining the temper and replying to your child should be your priority. Hold back from giving a response full of rage.
Be patient with them
Kids take time to express their views and feelings. Parents these days are always in a hurry to meet their targets. In doing so, they want their kids to be quick with whatever it needs to discuss so that the parent can move on with their individual plans. Being a good listener for your child will help you remove these barriers. Patience is the key to make things smooth for you and your child.
Make sure you are involved in two-way communication
To remove the parent-child communication barrier, it is important for you to be an active participant in a conversation. Look at this thing with this instance. Suppose your child is making an inappropriate demand that you do not wish to fulfill. In this case, instead of saying just no or getting angry at your child, try to make it understand why you do not wish to fulfill it. Explain with love and compassion and your child will try to understand. Acknowledgment is very important.
Be gentle, open, and be friends with your child
The level of communication will change as you see your child growing up. Kindergarten kids have different needs and desires while teens have a different perspective and way of expression. To make sure your child is not falling into the wrong circle, make sure you try to ask them about how their day was or who all are there in their friend’s group and who does your child like the most and why. These questions will build up a strong foundation for you and your child, removing the parent-child communication barrier.
Encourage your child’s conceptions
Most of the parents turn down the ideas of their children because their ideas can be immature and unrealistic. But this immature and unrealistic thinking is something that develops the perspective of a child. If your child is not free in sharing his/her ideas or thoughts then the chances are it will not be able to develop a perspective of its own.
Conventional thinking and ideas are good but let your child explore the unexplored horizons. Support your child’s immature thinking instead of scolding or nagging them. This is one of the best ways to prevent the parent-child communication barrier.
The Bottom Line
These parent-child communication barriers can take a toll on your relationship with your child. It is highly suggested that you foster a healthy parent-child communication system at your home. Let your child learn and grow in authenticity so that when life hits hard, your child is able to knock it down. No matter how busy you are, try to inculcate parent-child communication in your daily life.
