"Oh No!"
It might not seem like much but Empathy and Silence are a powerful team.
You may hear your child complaining.
Your child thinks they are just sharing something bad that happened in their day. It’s tempting to fix the problem, or roll your eyes, or complain about their complaining.
Instead, use
“Oh No!”
Then wait.
These two words communicate empathy to the child. Your silence creates space for them to share more. You don’t have to fix it.
If you need to say more, you could say,
“Are you wanting me to listen or help?”
Then heed their words and stay quiet.
Sometimes just by telling you, it gets it off their plate, they feel seen/heard, and they can move on with their day.
We all want a feeling of safety, a place where we can share what’s happening in our lives and have someone who just listens and gets it.
If you want your child to come to you with the big things when they are older, they need to feel safe coming to you with the little “Big Things,” now.