Your significant other is not the only one to suffer from selective hearing in your household; you'll notice its hereditary traits when your little one starts to become a teenager... Something, that will happen literally overnight.
Thankfully, however, with just a few tips you won't have to spend the next five years repeating yourself or shouting really loudly!
Take note of the following five things, and maybe (just maybe) your daughter will ACTUALLY listen to you.
1. Be a parent not a friend
Teenagers have a lot of friends but, at the end of the day, they only have one mum. Your daughter will respect you a lot more if you act like their parent rather than try to be their BFF. Although it may not seem like it at times, teens crave discipline and structure – if you suddenly started to ignore them or show less interest, they are likely to react negatively. Your teen will respect you more and therefore listen more if you act as their parent.
2. Pick your arguments
You can't avoid arguments completely, but you should pick and choose which battles are worth fighting. Constantly nagging or giving out to your teen won't make them listen to you more, in fact, they will simply switch off if they think all you ever do is pick at them. Things like not cleaning their room or putting their dishes in the dishwasher, while irritating, are battles that simply aren't worth it. Your teen coming home late or not telling you where they are going are battles that are.
3. Listen when they talk to you
Leading by example is one of the most effective ways to get your teen to listen - make time so that when they do have something to say you are there ready to listen. Communication works both ways; by showing them respect your teen will show you respect and that is the first step to getting them to listen to you.
4. Skip the lecture
Your teen is not going to stand there and listen while you lecture them on the importance of keeping their room clean, are they? Explain what you want, give your reasons and follow up with consequences if they don't do what they are told, then wait for their response. Keep it short and sweet and you will be better able to maintain their focus.
