Listening to Children Can Reduce Everyday Stress

Is it Possible that Children Have a Better Grasp of Priorities?

Aug 1, 2009

Whilst parents are thinking about work, home, and a multitude of other things, children usually concentrate on one task at any given time and that is their priority.

Children have a very simple way of managing their time. They usually concentrate on one thing at a time and do not forego any given task for another and prioritise what is important to them. This helps them to reduce stress, relax and enjoy the task at hand.

Differences Between Priorities of Children and Parents

Scene 1 – It is a Saturday afternoon and the family have just finished lunch. The father has some office work to finish and the mother has the housework to attend to. The children want to play but they are short of one person for their game. They call the father to join in and he says he has no time and the mother refuses because she has household chores to do.

Scene 2 – On a crisp sunny winter's day when the mother is getting ready to do the laundry, the sons want her to take them to the park to play. Of course the mother's priority is getting the clothes washed and so the trip to the park does not happen because by the time she has finished the laundry the weather is no longer crisp or sunny.

Scene 3 – It is school holidays and the mother is planning to make a very nice meal for dinner that night. The children tell her about a variety show visiting the local shopping center and want her to take them to see the clown. She tells them about the delicious meal that she has to prepare and that means she can't spare the time to go to the center.

What the Parents Could Have Done

Scene 1– The father or the mother or both could have joined the children in their game for at least a short period of time. After all the office work and household chores would have waited. May be, after a period of relaxing with the children, the parents would have been in a better frame of mind to tackle the work each of them had to do.

Scene 2 – Had the mother taken the sons to the park, the family would have had the advantage of spending some relaxing time outdoors in the fresh air and the mother would have spent some quality time with the children.

Scene 3 – The family could have had the nice meal another day. The variety show may not visit the center again for a long time. Taking the children to the show would definitely have made them happier than the fancy meal planned for that evening.

What Most Parents Forget

It just may be it is possible that parents could reduce stress and learn to relax more if only they listen to the children occasionally. No doubt the children will welcome and appreciate the time they get to spend with the parents and the parents will get the opportunity to really learn what their children are like. This can only be a "win-win" situation for parents and the children.

"Make each day useful and cheerful and prove that you know the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be happy, old age without regret and life a beautiful success." -Louisa May Alcott 1832-1888, Author

The copyright of the article Listening to Children Can Reduce Everyday Stress in Parenting Methods is owned by Pauline Mascarenhas. Permission to republish Listening to Children Can Reduce Everyday Stress in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.