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5 ways to get your child to listen to you

August 6, 2016

Remember that adorable chatty child who not long ago hung lovingly on your every word and considered you her number-one pal and confidant?

Now she often seems like a glassy-eyed pre-tween who’s turned ignoring you into an art form and transformed even the simplest request (“Please turn off the TV” or “Put your socks in the hamper”) into an exercise in mind-numbing repetition.

Your child isn’t deliberately trying to drive you insane (successful though she may be), and her maddening new behavior has more to do with her sense of self than how she feels about you.

Listed below are five ways to get your child to listen to you.

Get Some Perspective: Yelling to get your kid’s attention won’t do either of you much good. Instead, take a step back and recognize that your child isn’t purposely trying to undermine you — he’s just acting his age.

 

Make Your Presence Known: As you’re well aware, it’s surprisingly easy for your 7- or 8-year-old to ignore what you say. But it’s a lot harder for her to block you out in other ways.

Read also: 4 guidelines for letting your teen go to a party

Avoid The Echo: Calling your child’s name over and over again will just get you a sore throat. As will the infinite repeating of “clear your stuff off the table; dinner’s almost ready.”

Choose The Message: Before you get yourself embroiled in a battle of wills, make sure you’re concentrating on the things that really matter.

Listen To Your Child: Sometimes, kids don’t pay attention because they feel like no one’s paying attention to them. Parents are often so busy themselves that they don’t always focus on things they consider to be insignificant, but those may be the very things that matter most to a child.