"Be a good girl!" "Do you need a time-out?" Make sure you say thank you!"
The way we talk to our kids is so generic, it could be coming from a handbook. We tell them to behave responsibly, to be considerate of others, and to be mindful of their actions, but is the message we're trying to communicate the one they're receiving?
My guest today, Jennifer Lehr, is the author of ParentSpeak: What's Wrong with How We Talk to Our Children--and What to Say Instead, and she's sharing her thoughts on the traditional approaches to communicating with kids, how kids actually interpret them, and how we can improve our communication tools to be more respectful and effective in talking to our children.