I love our “A B C’s” of Conflict Avoidance as a map to help kids (and adults for that matter!) to navigate disagreements, power struggles and aggression. Today we’re going to focus on “C” which is “communicate with confidence and respect”. Three excellent ways to communicate confidence are:
1.)Look people in the eye
2.)Speak loud and clear
3.)Stand or walk straight and tall -body language goes a long way toward communicating confidence.
It’s important to note that we don’t actually have to feel confident to be able to communicate confidence in these ways – there are times when we can “fake it till we make it”.
Now for the Respect part. Respect is really about treating others the way we would like to be treated. Once again we find that
1.) Looking people in the eye when they talk to us is a way to show respect.
2.) Accepting people the way they are, or even when you disagree
3.) Being kind and polite
Although respect may be a difficult concept for young children, we can teach them that even if they don’t feel respectful at first they can “fake it till they make it” and behave in a respectful way. When we are respectful the world treats us differently than when we are disrespectful, and the rewards children will get for learning to be respectful will make their whole life better!
