Greeting Ritual

Think about times when you pick up your child from school. The natural inclination fro you is to ask...

"What did you do today?" "How'd you do on the spelling test?" "Do you have any homework?" Yada yada yada.

It is late at night and your teen needs a ride home. You're ticked off and tired and would rather be at home. Your usual response when you pick him/her up is...

"Why didn't you call earlier?" "You are 15 minutes later than I asked for you to be home.""What did you do tonight?"

Here's an idea that Allison Rees mentioned at a recent taping of our radio show - she calls it the greeting ritual.Author Gordon Neufeld refers to it as "the collecting dance" It's about getting in your child's face in warm and inviting ways.

When you greet your child or teen, don't ask the usual questions that they're tired of hearing or don't give the normal lecture. Don't ask them questions or give them lectures that make them "roll their eyes."

Try something different!

Adopt the greeting ritual.

Tell them a joke or a funny story. Quote an interesting fact that you heard. Tell them something interesting about your day.

Connection with your child or teen is the most important thing in developing the long term goals of parenting.