Friday, March 23, 2007

The drama of young girls and why it's important to listen

When it comes to girls, I believe drama is completely entwined into their DNA. They can take a simple tale of walking to their next class and embellish it to become an elaborate journey into the heart of the unknown. If they dropped a book in the hallway, they will talk to you about the injustice being done to children, the inhumanity of having them carry so much weight. Children and girls especially have a knack of taking a simple story and making it into a novel.

As a parent you need to be able to listen to your children and understand what they are talking about. You need to hear everything they have to say because one of the things they tell you might be something of extreme importance. But even then it is all important because it is important to her. You need to make her feel special; that you are interested in her life and want to know how her day went. By listening to her tell you about her day you find out little tidbit that she hides within the drama of her stories.

Girls will take the story of going into the classroom and tell you about it because something happened that she wants you to know about. She doesn’t feel comfortable about coming right out and saying what it is but she still wants you to know. It is your job as a parent to decipher these stories to be able to understand what it is she is saying. Because within her story, she could be telling you that a boy asked her on a date or she is having a hard time in the class.

Parents need to learn to decipher all of their children’s conversations not just girls, but with girls it is normally embedded within another story. This is how girls tell their parents about the things that happen in their life. It is how parents can find out if there is a problem that they need to resolve or if it is a cry for help. It can also be a way to show the parents how happy they are and how much they enjoy life. It is also important to remember that it can also be a way to play with their imagination. They know they can open up their minds and let their imaginations have free rein in their story telling. It frees them from the daily tensions in life. But the parents need to listen to their children to understand which areas are pure story and which are the true parts of life.

No comments: