This book introduces the benefits of learning to listen and how to start the ball rolling in enabling your children to talk about issues that maybe bothering them. Importantly, it also looks at what may get in the way of listening and why sometimes we find this hard to do.
Acknowledging a person’s feelings when they are upset is possibly one of the most useful things you can do. However, a lot of times, we try and fix the problem, offer advice, distract or give an opinion and this can make the matter worse because the feelings are stuck inside with nowhere to go.
Someone who encourages us to express our feelings is a person we’d find more understanding and helpful. Having feelings acknowledged has the effect of helping us to actually let go of them and move onto whatever is lying underneath. This in turn, enables us to become clear and solve our own problems and is something that children need to learn to do.