healthy kids
How to Communicate KID TALK
with a Child by Amber Lanier Nagle
D
udley Evenson didn’t set out to devise a strategy to foster con- structive, nurturing communica-
tions between parents and their offspring. Yet as she and her husband, Dean, raised their three children decades ago, timeless guiding principles emerged. “We were like other parents—learn-
ing and growing along with our children,” says Evenson, a certified professional life coach, musician and co-founder of the instrumental recording label Soundings of the Planet (
Soundings.com), in Bell- ingham, Washington. “Ten, in the early 1980s, I met Joshua Halpern, who wanted to include our perspectives and techniques in his book, Children of the Dawn: Visions of the New Family.” So she shared her way of cultivating
kind, caring and empathetic youngsters that has worked for two generations of her family: “Our role is not to impose our beliefs on children and grandchildren,
32 Hudson County
NAHudson.com
but to guide and help them develop their dreams, visions, paths and passions.” Other experts agree.
Stay Clear. Evenson contends that chil- dren are oſten mirrors of the surrounding moods and attitudes, so our example is paramount. “Children absorb our feel- ings and emotions,” says Melanie Hogin, a social worker who counsels foster families in greater Nashville.“‘Transference’ is its textbook term. Stay calm and clear when you are around children, and keep the lines of communication open.”
Be Consistent. Evenson maintains, “Mom and Dad or the primary parental figures should try to establish a unified, mutually supportive program.” “Consistency is one of the corner-
stones of effective parenting,” says Dana Cooley-Keith, with 20 years of experience working with families in crisis in North-
LightField Studios/
Shutterstock.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
