Adult - Listening to Children

Children feel listened to when 

• the adult has silence while the child speaks; 
• the adult paraphrases what the child has said to clarify the issue at hand before responding; 
• the adult shows confidence in the child’s capacities, encouraging independence while offering any necessary suggestions (since the child is coming to the adult for guidance or at minimum confirmation of the appropriate course of action or confirmation that the child’s words, thoughts, feelings and stories are valid). 

The adult should provide an environment and interactions that are full of 

• honesty, 
• compassion, 
• fairness, 
• responsibility and 
• respect.