And require your children to be respectful of you. Realize that respect is not the same as fear. Talk, don t yell. Yelling is the most common form of abuse, and does lasting damage to children s emotions and self-esteem. It interferes with learning.
Children don t listen well when they re being screamed at.
They get tense, anxious and hyperactive. Or, they shut down. This makes them harder to deal with later. Help your children to deal with the hardships of life. Children need limits, and are quite capable of accepting and learning from life s losses, hardships and difficulties, with proper guidance and support.