Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing some tips from my latest workshop for Mother/Daughter Communication that I will be including in one of our upcoming communication eBooks for parents.

A few communication tips for moms:

* Begin to let your child have input into things that affect him at an early age. This will give him a feeling that he has a say in what affects him.  This doesn't mean you have to agree or allow-just that you have given him his say and considered it prayerfully. 

* Don't give empty praise but do praise.  Giving empty praise can hurt more than help.  Kids know when you are not being sincere.  If you don't mean what you say, your children will not feel accomplished at anything because they won't feel it was earned.  

* Understand that your child is not you and the Lord has unique plans for him.  The most difficult thing for a parent sometimes is to understand that their children are not "mini thems".  God has given each child his own talents and desires and his own mission.  We need to allow them to discover this for themselves and support what the Lord desires for their lives even if it is not what we would have chosen for them. 

From JoJo's Purple Crayon...