Image: Flickr/Chris Parfitt

“Don’t feel that you must advise or help your child come up with a solution all the time. The value of listening is in the listening itself.” (Kimberly Keith)

There really is value in simply sitting with your child and listening. How valued do you feel when someone takes the time to stop what they are doing and give you their undivided attention? When we do this with our children, we give a gift and receive one in return. We give our child the sense of value that can only come from a parent. We receive the renewed perspective on that special kind of magic that childhood holds.

Of course, all of this is much easier said than done!

Often, we are so anxious to teach our kids right from wrong, to deliver some kind of lesson, or to keep them from making some mistake that we miss the chance to help them learn the most important thing: the ability to think through and solve a problem. By just listening to your child without looking to teach or prevent or fix, you’re teaching her that she is valuable and that you think she is capable of figuring things out on her own. Best of all, you’re teaching her that you are a safe place to come when she wants to talk.