Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule.
~Frederick W. Robertson
Communication Tip
When parents speak with young children, alone or as a group, they must
establish eye contact and/or hold them at close range, preferably at eye level, to
maintain warm direct communication and rapport. It may be necessary for
mothers and fathers to bend over, squat or kneel; or put down the newspaper,
telephone, or cooking pan as well.
In addition, a calm soothing tone of voice is preferred when giving
instructions, and a firm serious one for reprimands. Smiling or laughing when
children do wrong, and indifference or anger when they do right, goes against the
proper formation of good criteria and good habits. The goal is: a clear mind and a
strong will.
In small doses, at an early start, both mother and father can provide daily
cues to their children about essential distinctions between fact and opinion,
important and urgent, cause and effect, problem and solution, family and friend,
male and female, public and private, right and wrong, rights and duties, lifethreatening
and life-saving, eternal and temporal… the list can go on. At times, it may be necessary to consult the right sources before making any decisions and following these through. Slowly, both parents and children understand their value system and communicate on the same level.
Finally, a most important daily habit worth fostering until old age is self reflection,
answering the following three questions: What did I do right? What did
I do wrong? And what can I do better?