These are great tools when communicating messages to children. The Parent Effectiveness Training Course as devised by Dr Thomas Gordon teaches about 'I' statements. I highly recommend this course to parents.

These are great tools when communicating messages to children.

For example:

”I am sad that you have not finished your meal”,

“I am happy that you can play at school”,

“I am disappointed that you don’t clean your room and now I have more work to do”.

These are effective ways to communicate messages. It is a clear precise way to talk to children.

Note the emphasis is on how their behaviour has impacted on you.

Therefore, we are not criticising the behaviour, rather the impact it has on the parent.

”I” statements stimulate the child’s thinking ability. They are more inclined to change the child’s behaviour.

Try and avoid using the word, ”YOU” when referring to your child. We know that this implies a sense of judgement and using a child’s name more frequently is a better option, it suggests a deeper relationship.