One evening a mother heard a knock at the door. She looked through the peep hole and saw it was her son. She opened the door and he immediately stormed in right passed her. He began grumbling to his mother about his wife and how stubborn and ungrateful she was. He demanded her respect for being the bread winner, the family provider, and the rock of the household. He wanted to be heard and validated for his efforts. He heard his emotions so loudly he couldn't and wasn't interested in hearing the voice or perspective of his wife. The mother sat at the dinner table quietly listening to her son's rant and couldn't understand how she had raised a man who was so hardhearted. He valued his opinion so much that he didn't value his wife's. Then it struck his mother like a painful blow. It was her that taught him each day of his upbringing with her ranting, yelling, one-way conversations, telling and demanding that had instructed him how to treat and communicate with those you love.
Too often we show our sons and daughters how to talk through our actions, but we rarely show them how to listen through our actions.
Tramaine L. Crawford (TLC Coaching) and I build effective communication in to our workshops with youth, because we understand developing effective leadership requires people who can listen before they can effectively lead.
What teachable moment have you experienced from listening and watching your own kids ?
