728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Discipline and Communication › Grunts, Snarls and Verbal Abuse

Grunts, Snarls and Verbal Abuse

How to Break the Silence and Poor Communication Patterns

By Laura Paul

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

"One of the things I found is that often if I tried to push something too much, it became impossible," she says. "He shut down. Boys especially, but all teenagers today like to feel like they are in control."

Forcing a child to talk on command might just build a greater wall, because the message he or she hears is that the parent's will is more important. Dawidowicz found that if she gave space and "picked her battles" when the kids weren't ready to talk, they eventually responded better.

Job Perspective
Another way to get through to teenagers about the importance of proper communication skills is by helping them make the connection between communication and marketability in the work place.

Chad Foster, 45, of Atlanta, Ga., a motivational speaker and author of Teenagers Preparing for the Real World (Rising Books, Inc., 1999), created a curriculum for teens that focuses on communication skills, questioning skills, listening skills, networking skills, public speaking skills, reading and writing skills.

Foster explains to teenagers that until they have good communication skills, they really limit themselves in their opportunities both at home and in the workplace. "The biggest challenge we face today is skills like communication, listening and people skills; those were all skills that were learned at home years and years ago, and in many cases, they are not learned at home anymore," he says. "Then these kids are getting out into the workplace, and they don't have these skills. What employers are telling us across the board is these are the skills young people lack in order to be successful in the world of work."

Foster, who is also a television host for ESPN and the father of 1-year-old Graham, says teenagers do not learn rude communication behavior overnight. "They did not wake up one day and decide to be inconsiderate, rude, apathetic kids," he says. "That's something they learned over time. I think it's also important to know who your kids are hanging out with. If seven out of eight of their friends all talk that way to their parents and treat adults that way, they are more likely to follow suit and be of that persuasion."

Pages:  1  2  3  4  


Want to see more?