A busy mom’s mobile rings in the morning.

Ring 2- “Please pick up the phone for me”  (Soft voice from the kitchen)

Ring 3- “Rohan, pick up the phone” (Slightly firm voice) 

Ring 4- “Pick up the phone, Rohan!” ( Strict and firm voice)

Ring 5- “Are you deaf? How many times did I ask you to pick up the phone?” (Deafening voice across the kitchen startled Rohan) 

Rohan quickly gets the phone for his mom.

Above is a common scenario where children do not listen to their parents, leaving them exhausted and impatient. With daily chores to sort out on a busy day, parents often forget to speak to their children patiently to do a specific task. If this has been a worry for you, here are some tips to get your children to listen to you.

1. Eye To Eye Conversation

Whenever you give instructions, ensure eye contact with your child. When they have your total attention, they are clear of what you expect. It will make life simpler for both parent and child.

2. Short Explanation

Usually, children do not do what you ask them because they cannot justify your instruction. To encourage children to listen to you, give a short fact of what could wrong if they didn’t comply. For example, “Having too much french fries can upset your tummy.” 

3. Processing Time

Give children a few seconds to understand the instructions. As a parent, you should respect their age and ability to process information. 

4. Keep It Simple

Long sentences may look complicated to children. Keep it short, simple and precise for better understanding.

5. Lack Of Peripheral Awareness

At least a few of you would have felt that children ignore your instructions on purpose. When they are engaged in reading, playing or watching TV, they lack peripheral awareness, which means they don’t register things going around them. Keep this in mind, and you will realise that your efforts to understand children better will get them to listen to you.