Date: 7/27/2012

Parenting Classes help in getting your children to open up

When it comes to co-parenting, the old adage of divide and conquer could not be more relevant. Parents, who raise their children from different and separate households, find themselves living with unusually uncommunicative kids. This is not a sign that there is any one major problem and therefore easily overlooked or misinterpreted. The most common reason that kids clam up is that they don’t want to hurt either parent. Kids might avoid talking to their parents for various reasons but you can almost always count on divided loyalties at the core of the clamming-up.

In some cases children feel guilty about adding to already highly emotional problems by voicing their concerns, fears or anger. They sometimes choose to emotionally separate themselves from their parents, closing the door to communication.

If you want to re-establish communication with your kids, following any difficult event, it will take some work and some patience on your behalf. There are many things that only happen if you don't force them to happen. Getting children to open up is one of them. The more you pester, the less likely they are to talk.

Sharing difficult concepts can be daunting to children and they may not have the vocabulary to describe what they are really feeling. Getting someone to listen and not judge your emotions or concerns is based on a special kind of trust that is earned over time. Sometimes we get caught up in our own lives and then, when there is something we need to talk about with our children, we go to them and press them for answers which they may not have the ability to describe. But even if they did know what was wrong, the answers may not come until your relationship gets stronger.

A great way to get kids to open up is to talk to your children about small non consequential things; casual conversation is an excellent way to practice talking with your children. In fact, how do you expect to talk about the big issues if you can’t talk about the little ones?

The art of talking with your children can be learned and mastered.

If you like these strategies visit www.parentingchoice.com and learn about our Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course.

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