Parent Zone

Written by: Dr. Tik Chi-yuen, Director of Hong Kong Institute of Family Education Last weekend, I attended a parent seminar where it was mentioned that parents should establish a close communication relationship with their children. Nowadays, young people rarely confide in their parents when facing difficulties. During the open discussion, a father asked me, “My son is in Form 3, and we rarely talk, especially about his feelings. How can I build a communication relationship with him?” I believe many parents have faced similar issues, especially as their children grow. Why is it so difficult to establish heartfelt communication with our children?   When children are young, communication seems to be straightforward and without issues. However, as they grow into adolescence, parents often find communication suddenly becomes challenging. Some parents say that communication has become “one sentence against nine,” meaning when parents say one thing, children respond with nine counterarguments, making effective communication difficult. What is the problem? It lies in the topics and attitudes we adopt when communicating with our children.   When we come home each day, the first question we often ask our children is, “Have you finished your homework?” We constantly remind them to take a shower, tidy up their toys, do their homework, and review their lessons. This creates a daily routine filled with tasks. When the parent-child relationship becomes task-oriented, both sides feel exhausted. Some parents feel drained by having to manage their children’s responsibilities every day, and children feel overwhelmed as well. When

Written by: Speech Therapist Wong Nga Yan Children learn to organize the vocabulary they have acquired into sentences through storytelling, which also promotes their cognitive and language development. However, many parents often find it challenging to guide their children in storytelling. Here are some tips to help enhance children’s narrative abilities.   1.Choose Appropriate Stories As the saying goes, “To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools.” If you want your child to tell stories well, the first step for parents is to select books that are suitable for their children. According to the “Guidelines on the Pre-primary Education Curriculum” published by the Curriculum Development Council in 2006, the content of books for young children should be healthy and interesting, with vivid character portrayals and illustrations that clearly display the theme. When selecting books, parents should pay attention to whether the content aligns with the child’s interests and experiences. Additionally, parents should start with books that have simple plots and more repetitive sentences, helping children grasp and use the sentences within the stories. As children grow older, parents can choose books with more complex storylines. The themes of the stories can be diverse to enhance children’s exploration of the outside world. 2.Learn Through Imitation Most children not only enjoy listening to others tell stories but also like to tell stories themselves. However, some parents may be too eager and, after purchasing books, hurry their children to tell stories, which can lead to the child losing interest in

Written by: Doctor Cheung Kit   I often see comments about parenting online and in newspapers. Many people believe that modern children are becoming increasingly difficult to control. For some reason, they seem to be getting smarter and more self-centered, so they don’t easily follow the guidance of their elders. Personally, I tend to be more conservative and believe that the main reason for children’s behavioral issues lies in our inadequate guidance as adults. In theory, no matter how intelligent a child is, as long as boundaries and rules are established early on, they can follow them well. Among various methods, today I want to discuss how to effectively use “One, Two, Three.”   This method is particularly effective for young children because their responses are simply about following the rules they are given. The approach is that when a child exhibits inappropriate behavior, parents can count “One, Two, Three.” If the child does not stop after the count, parents should impose appropriate consequences. The benefits of this method include:   1.       When children hear “One, Two, Three,” they know their parents are serious. 2.       “One, Two, Three” is time-bound; children cannot use delay tactics. It is more effective than saying “Hurry up” or “Right now.”   3.    Children have time to complete what they might originally think is acceptable behavior, so it doesn’t feel too abrupt.   Actually, before saying “One, Two, Three,” there is an implicit understanding between parents and children:   1.       Both parties understand the meaning