Have you ever had people talk at you? They do all the talking and you can’t get a word in edgewise. If you do manage to say something, they’re so busy thinking of what they will say next that they haven’t listened to a word you’ve said.

That’s not a conversation.

It’s more like a monologue.

Or a lecture.

Or maybe even a speech.

If you’re able, you walk away with a commitment to avoid such people at all costs!

Yet this description often applies to communications between adults and children. Instead of talking with children, we talk at them.  And our messages are often contradictory.

Sit down. Stand up.

Be quiet. Answer me.

Come here. Go to your room.

Do we talk at our children? Do we talk down to our grandchildren?

Children learn conversational skills by observing and listening. If we’re rude to them, they’ll be rude to us…and to their peers. If we model respect for each other and for them, they’ll internalize that respect in their own conversations.

Conversation is a two-way street. We speak and we listen with consideration and respect…even when the conversations are with children.