Listening and the Family
Education commences at the mother's knee, and every word spoken within
the hearing of little children tends towards the formation of
character. ¯ Hosea Ballou
I think a lot of our problems are because people don't listen to our
children. It is not always easy. They're not always so brilliant
that you want to spend hours with them. But it is very important
to listen to them. ¯ Barbara Bush
Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. ¯ Robert Fulghum
The most valuable gift you can give your child is to listen to the
little and big things in his life. Begin early so that the lines of
communication will be open during the teenage years. ¯ Kimberly
Keith
Just talking to your child is only half the job. You can keep the lines
of communication open by knowing how to listen and when to talk. —
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
Listen earnestly to anything [your children] want to tell you, no
matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they
are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big,
because to them all of it has always been big stuff. But unless they
are talking to you, stay out of it. Indiscriminate eavesdropping is a
threat to parental sanity. ¯ Catherine M. Wallace
Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them
is something more acute than listening to them. When their elders sit
and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out,
like a mouse from its hole. ¯ Eudora Welty
Don't feel that you must advise or help your child come up with a
solution all the time. The value of listening is in the listening
itself. ¯ Kimberly Keith
The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home
are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering galleries, they are
clearly heard at the end, and by posterity. ¯ Ricther
The little child whispered, "God, speak to me." And a meadowlark sang.
But the child did not hear. So the child yelled, "God, speak to
me!" And the thunder rolled across the sky. But the child did not
listen. The child looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a
star shone brightly
But the child did not notice. And the child shouted, "God show me a
miracle!" And a life was born. But the child did not know. So the child
cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are
here!" Whereupon God reached down And touched the child. But the
child brushed the butterfly away and walked away unknowingly.
Take time to listen. Often times, the things we seek are right
underneath our noses. Don't miss out on your blessing because it isn't
packaged the way that you expect. — Anonymous
