ONE of the most important things parents should learn is how to listen to their children.

ONE of the most important things parents should learn is how to listen to their children.

Most parents would say they know how to listen to their children, but listening is not merely being there when your child speaks. It's not just hearing their voice and half-heartedly following what they are saying.

Every time children speak about an adventure or good experience - or anything that really matters to them and they believe is worth sharing - they give parents a chance to look at the world through their eyes.

When you know how the world looks through children's eyes, you will have an insight into what it is like to be them. And understanding your child is one of the important keys to good parenting.

Every time your children share something with you they teach you things about being a child and being a parent.

pay attention

Some parents know it is important to pay attention to their children but allow their attention to wander to "more important things" despite this knowledge

There have been times when I only gave half my attention to my four-year-old son when he was enthusiastically sharing something very important with me.

I pretended he had my full attention - and I am not the only busy parent guilty of this.

Only last week I had an opportunity to be alone with my little one for almost an hour. He had many things to share, many questions to ask. I gave him my full attention and I learnt a lot from him.

I learnt about the beauty of being able to listen to my child and see the world through his eyes. It was wonderful! - yourparentinginfo