How To Talk So Your Teen Will Listen
In 2013, the Huffington Post reported half of all Americans believe UFOs exist. Have you become one of them since having a teenager under your roof?!
For many parents, when their child enters the teen years it may feel like an alien has taken over where their child used to exist. If ET has taken up residence in your home, watch this video to discover useful techniques to talk with your teen.
WATCH: HOW TO TALK TEEN
“Questions lead to critical thinking.”
IMPORTANT POINTS
1. The most important thing you can do is NOT lecture. If you lecture, your teen tunes you out. And when that happens, you become the boy who cried wolf. You could have the most pertinent information, but your teen won’t hear a thing you say.
2. Try rephrasing your statement as a question. Instead of saying “I can’t believe you did that.” Ask this: “Tell me what went on, what did you learn and what would you do differently next time?”
3. By asking questions, you as a parent are getting your children to think critically on their own.
And that’s your entire goal: critical thinking for your child. You want to get your kid, particularly as a teenager, to think critically and independently from you. You want them to make critical decisions without you in their lives, whether in college, in their jobs or any other area of life.
RECOMMENDED BOOK
PLEASE HEAR ME: As a parent, I completely understand your desire to offer advice to your child. But your ultimate goal is to raise a healthy, well-adjusted son or daughter. And the key to that is critical thinking. When there’s a critical decision to be made, you want to have trained your child in advance to think critically.
