Ten Tips to Become a Brilliant Listener
The most important skill for parents in talking with kids is
listening. Not answering, not teaching, not lecturing, not fixing
things or 
offering solutions. Not only do your kids not want that from
you, but it would get in the way of them coming up with their own
solutions. What your kids need from you is your full attention and
empathy. That’s what deep listening is. How do you do it?
1. Be fully present.
This is your time to listen to your child. It’s a gift to both of
you. The shopping list and that problem at the office can wait. Your
child knows when you’re really listening. She may not show it, but it
breaks her heart when you pretend to and don’t.
2. Close your mouth. You
may have to put your hand over your mouth. There are teachable
moments, but kids learn most from the opportunity to hear themselves
talk and come to their own conclusions. If you give in to the
temptation to lecture, your child will clam up.
3. Start with empathy,
like a mirror you hold up to your child. Your acknowledgment of what
he’s feeling helps him to accept his own feelings, which is what allows
them to resolve. Most of the time, when kids (and adults) feel their
emotions are understood and accepted, the feelings lose their charge
and begin to dissipate. We don’t have to act on those feelings, or even
to like them, merely to acknowledge their presence.
Repressed feelings, on the other hand, don't fade away, as feelings do when they’ve been acknowledged. Repressed feelings are trapped and looking for a way out. Because they aren’t under conscious control, they pop out unmodulated, when a preschooler socks her sister, or a seven year old has nightmares, or an eleven year develops a nervous tic.
4. Remember that listening empathically doesn’t mean agreement. Accepting his feelings and reflecting them does not mean you agree with them or endorse them. You’re showing him you understand, nothing more, and nothing less. And if you’ve ever felt understood, you understand just how great a gift this is.
5. Don’t start solving the problem. The point is to let him get past his upset so that he can begin to think about solutions himself, not to solve it for him. When he expresses his feelings about something, you'll want to listen and acknowledge, rather than jumping in with solutions. That means you'll have to manage your own anxiety about the issue.
6. Resist the impulse to probe. "Tell me how you feel" is not empathy. Empathy is mirroring whatever she's already showing you. “You seem sad this morning” or “You’re very quiet tonight,” followed by a warm smile will encourage her to open up more than badgering her with questions.
7. Don’t start by trying to change the feeling
or cheer her up. I promise you, empathizing with the bad feeling is the
fastest way to let it dissipate. Arguing her out of the bad feeling
just invalidates her, or pushes it under to resurface later. That
doesn’t mean you magnify or wallow in the negative feeling, just that
you acknowledge it and honor her experience. Once she has a chance to
notice, accept, and maybe express the feeling, she’ll feel ready for
"cheering up" in the sense of a change of scene and topic.
8. Try to listen from a place of spacious acceptance. Don't take it personally. Breathe. Detach. Above all, if you start feeling responsible (“I could have prevented this!”) or terrified (“I can’t believe this is happening to my child!”) get a grip and put your feelings aside. This isn’t about you, right now, and your upset won't help. You can process later. Remind yourself that this too shall pass, and that what's most important here is helping your child work through these difficult feelings and possibly come up with a plan of action that works for him.
9. To open discussion, actively acknowledge and reflect his feelings, without judgment or suggestion. "You sure are angry at your brother” and “You seem worried about the field trip today" are conversation openers, “You just have to make the effort to get along with your brother!” and “Don’t be such a baby about the field trip; of course you’re going!” are conversation closers.
10. Match your reaction with his mood.
Your third grader’s being a bit downcast because his team lost the
soccer game doesn't merit a reaction from you as if someone had died.
Conversely, mechanically parroting "It can be hard when your boyfriend splits up with you" is likely to evoke hysteric rage from your fourteen year old.
