Biggest takeaway: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk

Back in 2017, we were expecting our first child. Like probably every parent out there, we decided to prepare. So we read a bunch of books.

Perhaps unusually, I was pretty calm about the impending birth. It wasn't going to take that long, and we were going to have professionals around to help us. But right afterwards we were about to become parents and there wouldn't be professionals around to help with that! So instead of reading about pregnancy or birth, I decided to read about raising children.

Having taken such a logical approach, I decided to buck logic and instead of reading about raising a newborn (about which I knew nothing), I read How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk - something that wouldn't be useful for years.

Well lucky me, it turned out it was useful immediately, although not in the way you'd think. Even though the book is aimed at talking to kids, I found after reading the book that it was easier to communicate with adults at work.

It's amazing how universal it is.

Well, I decided to read it again in 2020 now that my son is talking, and I'm so glad I did.

My biggest takeaway from the book was the skill of giving kids what they want in fantasy:

Son: "I really want to eat more skittles!"

Me: "I hear you. I wish I could give you all the skittles! I wish we could have so many skittles, we could fill a bath tub with them!"

Son: "Yeah!"

It turns out that kids just want to be vibed with. They know the rules. They just want to know you understand them. By giving them what they want in fantasy, you show them that you understand them.

It works with adults too. 😊

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