How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

I. Introduction

Parenting styles may have changed since this book was first published in 1980, but what hasn’t changed is that every parent has moments where they’re convinced their kids aren’t listening to them, and children feel like they’re not being heard by their parents. Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, who were both on the faculty of the New School for Social Research and co-wrote the bestselling Siblings Without Rivalry and Liberated Parents/Liberated Children, wanted to examine this communication disconnect after numerous parents asked them for help nurturing closer relationships with their children. The result is a still timely book, which The Boston Globe called “the parenting bible,” offering insights and advice for building effective communication skills and improving the relationship with your child — no matter their age.

II. Acknowledge Your Child’s Feelings

III. Manage — and Communicate — Expectations

IV. Seek Alternatives to Punishment

V. Building Autonomy Means Allowing Mistakes

VI. Praise That’s Productive

VII. The Dangers of Labeling