Ultimate Guide to Parenting Communication

If you want to teach your child good behavior, consistency really is key. Unfortunately, the hardest part about being consistent is that you have to be consistent constantly -- hour to hour, day to day, and week to week. And between work and homework, dinner and laundry, trying to be consistent with rules and discipline can be downright exhausting.

But the truth is, if you can't follow the rules and the consequences you've set up, your children won't either. A good first step in being consistent is to try to focus on one key behavior (or misbehavior) that you want to address. Maybe you want your kids to share better or to stop calling each other names -- focus your attention on this behavior and reward (or punish) your children accordingly [source: Family Education].

Other important tips to help you be consistent are to:

Over time, your child will learn what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable if you remain consistent. Go to the next page to learn how to conduct a successful family meeting.

If you're looking for a way to open up the lines of communication in your family, regular family meetings are a good place to start. Family meetings establish a safe and nonjudgmental place for family members to discuss problems and to make decisions, and they can bring a family closer together as you learn to work collectively and cooperatively.

The first step in setting up your family meetings is to figure out a time and day each week that everyone can get together. Establish a set length of time for your meetings as well, and stick to it -- this encourages your family to make the meeting a priority and shows that you value having this time together each and every week [source: Fetsch].

The important thing to remember in your family meetings is that all family members should be given an opportunity to talk and participate. Even the youngest members of your family should be involved in any decisions or discussions that take place. Setting some ground rules for your meetings is a good idea. Some good rules include having one person talk at a time, discussing one topic at a time and changing topics only when everyone agrees to do so [source: Zolten].

Creating an agenda for each family meeting helps your family focus and gets the conversation rolling. Post an "Agenda List" in a specified place in your house, and encourage family members to add topics or issues they would like to discuss at the meeting to the list throughout the week [source: Zolten]. Before you begin discussing the topics on the "Agenda List," start each meeting by highlighting the positive things that each family member did that week.

Family meetings are a good way to bring your family together, and they can really help foster open communication among family members. Read the next page to find out how to have those dreaded important talks with your kids.

The truth is that when it comes to discussing important issues with their kids, parents don't do it nearly enough. The key to having any important talk with your child -- whether it's about puberty, sex, drugs or alcohol -- is to have it before your child is in a situation in which he or she needs to make a decision. And the bottom line is that many children are having these experiences way earlier than their parents think [source: Oprah.com].

Knowledge is power. And it's your responsibility as a parent to give your children the information they need to guide them into adulthood. No one is saying that having the talk about the birds and the bees with your kids is easy, but if you want your child to make safe and healthy choices, it's time to start talking.

An important part of talking with your kids is to make them feel as safe and comfortable as possible. Not only do you want to give them the information they need, but you also want to let them know that they can ask you any questions they want -- and that they can continue the conversation with you at any time. Staying calm and keeping the conversation casual is crucial. If it sounds like you're giving a lecture, your child may hesitate to come to you in the future [source: Oprah.com].

If you find yourself struggling to have an important talk with your child, do some research and practice what you want to say beforehand. Make sure that you have all the right information to discuss a topic, and practice some ways to initiate the conversation and the key points you want to address [source: KidsHealth].

Whether you're ready to talk with them or not, your child will be faced with some difficult experiences as they grow and develop. They're going to get their information somewhere -- and it might as well be accurate information from the person who loves and cares about them the most.

For more information, see the resources on the following page.