Listening to children also requires methods.

On September 13, Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City organized a seminar for parents on 'The Power of Quality Connections with Children'. In particular, the speaker guided parents in practicing the method of listening to their children.

The Board of Directors of Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City and parents attending the seminar - Photo: MT

"Children today tend to share less with their parents. For example, when a child comes home from school and his mother asks, "Did you have anything fun at school today?", the child shows frustration: "What happened? Why do you keep asking?". The answer shows a broken connection between parents and children," said psychology PhD student Dao Thi Ngoc Mai, RMIT University (Australia).

According to Ms. Mai: "In many modern families, everyone has a mobile phone, often connected in the virtual world but losing real connection with loved ones right next to them."

Speaker Dao Thi Ngoc Mai presented at the topic "The power of quality connection with children" - Photo: MT

After presenting the theory, speaker Dao Thi Ngoc Mai let the parents practice on the spot. Two parents sat next to each other and formed a pair: one person spoke to the other and vice versa. In particular, the listener was not allowed to interrupt, judge, or stereotype… but had to listen attentively until the end of the story.

After the practice, the parents expressed that they felt respected and shared their feelings even though they had never met before.

Parents practice listening methods - Photo: MT

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, parent of class 10TH2, said: "When I was listened to, I felt the sympathy of the parent sitting next to me. Surely after today, he and I will be friends."

Speaker Dao Thi Ngoc Mai concluded: To connect with children effectively, parents should ask open-ended questions and change the way they ask questions frequently to avoid boredom.

The way to listen to your child completely is to not interrupt them, not rush to judgment, and keep up with their language…

In addition, parents need to proactively create "connection spaces" every day - it could be just 30 minutes on the way to school, during meals or a few minutes before bedtime.

"These small habits will help maintain a strong bond between parents and children. Quality connections will help parents identify their children's development, understand their emotions, and thereby know how to accompany and balance the needs of the two generations," Ms. Mai affirmed.

Mental health care for students

According to Master Tran Thi Hong Thuy, Principal of Tran Dai Nghia Secondary and High School, the above topic is one of three topics that the school has for parents in the 2025-2026 school year.

"With the goal of taking care of the mental health of students and teachers, this school year we will organize 12 topics for teachers and 3 topics for students. However, that is not enough. With the desire to have a close and synchronous combination between school and family in the process of educating students, we will organize topics specifically for parents.

The two upcoming topics will be: "Accompanying children through difficult stages of life" and "Overcoming burnout in the journey of parenting" - Ms. Hong Thuy said.

HOANG HUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lang-nghe-con-tre-cung-can-phai-co-phuong-phap-2025091318530695.htm