Your daughter is a very unique person and she understands a lot more than you might think. She has developed distinct personality traits that make her strong-willed, smart, and compassionate. However, she faces many situations that can be especially hard to deal with on her own like boys or drugs. Communication is the key to early intervention so try these guidelines to help your daughter open up about difficult subjects.
Tips for Talking:
- Take Cues From Her Personality. Notice her actions everyday and be actively aware of how she communicates verbally and non-verbally. These are her comfort zones. If you cross them, you can kiss open communication good bye.
- Encourage Openness. Don’t be secretive about anything. And encourage your daughter to be open by setting an example. If you’re doing something she shouldn’t know about, chances are she’s going to find out eventually through school, friends, or television, so try to predict the difficult stuff and discuss it with her before her friends do.
- Do Things Together. Even if it’s not always fun, do some things together and make a habit of it. Try weekly trips to the grocery store, shopping, or going to the movies. The point is to make doing things together more the norm than out of the ordinary. Let her get used to being with you and she will really get to know you and trust you.
- Give Her Space. Don’t hover over your daughter. If you suspect something is troubling her, calmly let her know that she can come to you for any reason. Give her the benefit of the doubt. If she’s constantly showing warning signs, then it’s time to investigate. Tread lightly though.
- Don’t Try to be Her Friend. You can show concern without being too lenient. Set rules and make her stick to them. Don’t slack-off when it comes to discipline.Your daughter needs guidelines and to know that you’re in charge at all times.It’s an issue of credibility. If you seem to be in control, then she will trust that you have the solutions to all of her difficult situations.