However, I don’t pause doing the more menial tasks that might be at hand, such as folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher. At home, I turn away from my email and face them. In the car, where many great parent-teen conversations occur, I silence the radio.
#Listening ears full#
With my children, I also strive to use body language to show that they have my full attention. It was a small gesture, but important for me to give my full attention to the other person in my office. When I held meetings in my office, I would purposefully turn my back to this window so that I wouldn’t be distracted. For example, I once had an office with a large interior window, and co-workers were constantly walking by. Have you ever chatted with someone who is constantly scanning the room beyond you? When this happens to me, I think, “Why are they looking for someone more interesting or important than me?” Frankly, it’s rude! While I am sure I am guilty of doing this myself, I do take active measures to help prevent it. Ever since that day, I am more mindful of how I give my attention to someone who stops by my office. He pointed out my body language and how it made him feel. I wasn’t aware of the silent “I’m too busy to talk” message I was sending. As I chatted, I literally kept my hands over the keys, poised to continue typing as soon as he left. Many years ago, I made the mistake of not taking my hands off my keyboard when my co-worker, Bob, stopped by to talk. Regardless of the signals used, it’s so important to listen with our full attention. Sometimes it will be a straightforward, “Can I talk to you in my room” or a sweet, “Can you tuck me in tonight?” When they were younger, I knew something was wrong when they threw toys or lost their tempers. Instead, they have other cues to let me know they need my attention. While I often asked my children to turn on their listening ears when they were younger, I think I would fall over if they repeated that phrase to me now as teenagers. It was his signal that he had heard his mom and was ready to pay attention. At one playgroup, I remember smiling when another mom told her son Ryan to “turn on his listening ears” and he actually reached up to twist an imaginary dial near his ear. When my kids were toddlers, I often took them to playgroups at local parks or friends’ homes.
0 kommentar(er)
