Want Your Kids to Listen? What You Need to Check First! by Jane Cabrera

If you feel like your kids aren't listening to you, check your tone of voice. Yelling, nagging, criticizing and other negative tones are communication blockers. 

Think about it: If someone yells, nags or criticizes you, how do you respond? You naturally will want to pull away to avoid the negativity. The same goes with our kids. Yelling and criticizing actually encourages them to NOT listen to us! 

We are more approachable when we use a calm, composed tone, which encourages our kids to listen and cooperate with us.