Sometimes Just Listen

Today, I read a quote from a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Mel Levin, MD, said, "A parent gives more comfort by listening than by talking.  If you simply resonate with your child's mood, then you'll have a child who's always willing to come talk to you and bare her soul."

In light of what we are all learning regarding spiritual conversations with our kids, this is an important point.  As parents, don't we often try to fix things with our kids at every turn.  Sometimes, our kids just want to know that they are heard.  Ultimately, I want my kids to learn to deal with situations on their own.  Questions like "Why do you think this happened? or "Do you have any ideas about what you can do to make it better?" go a long way in getting our kids to work through their bad feelings.

Interesting.