The Gentle Art of Communicating with Kids

Do you ever feel as if you and your child speak differentlanguages?

Does your teenager fly into a rage when you ask a simplequestion?

Does your toddler wage the Battle of Bedtime each night?

Here's help from bestselling communications expert Suzette HadenElgin. As the mother of five and grandmother of nine, Dr. Elgin hasspent a lifetime talking with kids both personally andprofessionally. In this refreshingly direct and down-to-earth book,she shows you how to talk to your child about anything andeverything--positively, productively, and above all, peacefully.Her personal approach employs realistic parent/child scenarios anddialogues to illustrate how it is possible to have communicationwithout confrontation.

Her techniques will help you:
* Be a better listener
* Speak firmly, yet compassionately
* Spot early warning signs such as anger, sulking, and moodiness
* Handle a wide variety of problems, from bedtime and bathtimeencounters to more serious issues such as self-esteem, teenpregnancy, and drug abuse
* Give special attention to the needs of a technically savvy"cyberchild" Using the Language Traffic Rules.

Managing the English Verbal Attack Patterns.

Using Three-Part Messages.

Using the Satir Modes.

Using the Sensory Modes.

Special Communication Problems.

Conclusion.

Additional Resources.

The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense--An Overview.

Bibliography.

Index. SUZETTE HADEN ELGIN, Ph.D., is the founder of the Ozark Center for Language Studies. Her bestselling Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense books include Genderspeak and You Can't Say That to Me!, both from Wiley. She and her family live near Huntsville, Arkansas. Do you ever feel as if you and your child speak different languages?

Does your teenager fly into a rage when you ask a simple question?

Does your toddler wage the Battle of Bedtime each night?

Here's help from bestselling communications expert Suzette Haden Elgin. As the mother of five and grandmother of nine, Dr. Elgin has spent a lifetime talking with kids both personally and professionally. In this refreshingly direct and down-to-earth book, she shows you how to talk to your child about anything and everything—positively, productively, and above all, peacefully. Her personal approach employs realistic parent/child scenarios and dialogues to illustrate how it is possible to have communication without confrontation.

Her techniques will help you:

• Be a better listener
• Speak firmly, yet compassionately
• Spot early warning signs such as anger, sulking, and moodiness
• Handle a wide variety of problems, from bedtime and bathtime encounters to more serious issues such as self-esteem, teen pregnancy, and drug abuse
• Give special attention to the needs of a technically savvy "cyberchild"