Active listening is a technique which allows you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, so to speak, in order to fully understand their point of view. It shows trust, acceptance, and interest in the other person and allows you to know what is really going on. With the use of active listening, we can check on the accuracy of our listening skills to see if the message we are receiving is what the sender intended.
Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict Into Co-operation by Sura Hart and Victoria Hodson is an asset to any family striving to live in a consensual manner. The concepts and techniques in the book stay true to the concepts of nonviolent communication. Parents new to the idea of consensual living will find more than just a book on parenting philosophy, with anecdotes, techniques, and exercises for changing the way parents communicate with their children and others. Those families who already utilize a consensual lifestyle will find the book to be a nice refresher course in the concepts of nonviolent communication. Quotes in the margins add to mindful parenting.
Hart and Hodson have effectively given strategies to develop empathic communication between parents and children while honoring invidual needs in a respectful manner in order to promote cooperation. The emphasis on listening and communication complements the concept of separating out needs and strategies to meet those specific needs. Their 7 keys to cooperation will aid in creating a safe, secure home environment which ellicites open communication and cooperation between family members.
In my opinion, Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids is worth purchasing for periodic review and contemplation.
