As a mum of two grown up sons, I can see how important the work that we do at The Ariel Trust is in enabling parents/carers to start difficult conversations with their child. I remember when my boys were younger, they would sometimes shy away from talking about 'feelings' and in the teenage years a grunt whilst munching cereal was the norm.
When parents/carers attend the parental engagement workshops, though, they have fun with their children and feel relaxed. That is when the best conversations can take place. A simple 'I'm proud of what you did today, how do you feel?', 'That was interesting, what do you think?' or 'What do you think you would have done in that situation?' can open dialogue between parent and child.
We sometimes feel, as parents, that difficult conversations should take place in a serious, controlled manner, yet I found that our best 'chats' happened in the car or whilst taking the dog for a walk.
When parents/carers attend our Parental Engagement workshops it opens doors for them and helps give them a starting point to have that 'chat'. Whether that be in the car, on a dog walk, or wherever feels relaxed and comfortable to them.
Anita
