Book Review: How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids with Talk

As my oldest son approaches his teenage years, I've been feeling the need for a refresher on parenting how to's. So I picked up a copy of this old standard over the holidays and started brushing up on strategies and language to connect with my emerging adolescent.

Like so many others, ​I can't speak highly enough of  Faber and Mazlish's book ! Not only because it gives very detailed advice about the topic at hand (still as relevant in 2016 as it was in 1982, the first year published): how to talk to your children in an effective and kind way, but also because the "How to" offers so many different opportunities to explore what is at play in  one's own parenting style.

Some highlights: 

Use the worksheets to get a better sense of the voices inside your own head. Each section ends with a series of worksheets that offer a chance to work through the responses you instinctively use and new options you can develop.

Explore the many examples other parents have provided. Faber & Mazlish worked with groups of parents to put their theories and ideas into practice. Their writing is peppered with examples from real parents, and in those frustrated and often stymied voices, I find real companionship.

Final tip: Go slow! Many of these techniques take time to develop. If you are reading and practicing on your own, give yourself several weeks to work with each concept. Then when you move on to the next chapter, you'll feel more grounded.

​Enjoy!