1. Relieves “emotional flooding”.
When your child is experiencing a problem, feeling can overwhelm thoughts. A child can become emotionally flooded when feeling crowds out thoughts. Active Listening relieves emotional flooding and frees the intellect to get back to work.
2. Helps the child to identify her real problem.
When your child tells you about a problem, it is easy to immediately begin thinking about how you can help him/her resolve that situation. But what the child first tells you is not the real or complete problem. Most problems are like onions; they have a number of layers. By Active Listening to the child, you can help her peel back the layers of the problem and identify the central issue.
- Presented Problem: “I hate Avery!”
- Second Layer: “Avery gets so much attention.”
- Third layer: “It’s so easy for her to make friends.”
- Real problem: “I want to get better at making friends.”
3. Assists the child in solving her own problem.
Once the “real problem” has been identified, most children as well as adults, have within themselves the solution that is best for them. Solving their own problems increases creativity, self-confidence and problem-solving abilities.
(Have you taken P.E.T. yet? Or perhaps it’s time to refresh your skills? Click here to view the many online options coming up in 2026.)
Merry and Happy Everything to you – Gordon Training will be closed Dec. 24th and will re-open on Jan. 5th. Be safe, be well and Active Listen.