Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw – Podcast Episode 22

For my latest podcast episode, number 22 in this series, we continue talking about the central theme of my latest book project.  A few weeks ago, I let listeners know that I am working on finishing a new book designed FOR PARENTS.  That book is designed as a parenting guide for effective communication with children, and the opening section of the book which forms the backbone of the guide is something I am calling my “10 Governing Principles” for communicating with children.

What I have been doing on my latest podcasts is delving deeper into each of the ten guiding principles one at a time, podcast after podcast, and this podcast contains the FOURTH discussion in that series.  That means the theme of this podcast is the fourth governing principle that I see as essential for communicating with children, and the simple guidance offered by this fourth governing principle is to BE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE.

Being developmentally appropriate when communicating with your child can be challenging.  It is challenging because the content of some discussions can involve delicate subject matter.  It can be challenging because every child is different, and every household has different value systems. Overall, what I don’t believe in is sheltering your child from reality, and it should not be a case of IF you should communicate certain subject matter to your child but HOW and WHEN.  Children face real life situations, and they will know if you are being secretive with them around certain subject matter.  In fact, forbidden fruit may seem sweeter to your child.

In the podcast, I offer examples of what might consist of a sensitive conversation, and one example is discussing news events like the recent and violent storming of the Capitol building in Washington. There is clearly a developmentally appropriate way to discuss that with your child.  What is developmentally appropriate for your child may vary, but I offer this advice… don’t “baby” your child and don’t speak over their heads. Try to recognize the level of conversation that is just right for them.

This podcast concludes with a recap of the structure of my new book on parenting and how the 10 Governing Principles for effective communication with children are all inter-woven.

The next podcast will focus on the fifth governing principle from my new book for parents, so please stay tuned for that. Thanks for visiting and for listening.

My new parenting book is now out and you can find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJRX7JF

You can hear Podcast 22 here:

https://learnwithmeremotely.podbean.com/e/teaching-humanity-remotely-with-dr-mindy-shaw-ep-22/