Listen to me

On By MeghaIn Parenting

Listen to me, my precious, I need to talk to you,
In return, I promise to listen to you.
This is what together we can do,
You listen to me & I to you.

I promise my full attention to you,
Go ahead pour it out & I’ll hear you out.
I’ll acknowledge all you say,
We may as well talk, like we play.

What I cannot bring to you,
I promise to gift with a wand of words.
With the wish to amuse & the right word use,
Let’s have fun with information.

I teach you about life,
You teach me how to have fun.
Maybe just a word or two,
One that’ll say all to you.

I won’t take long,
I promise not to sing the accusation song.
I’ll talk like a friend,
When words fail, with puppets in hand.

Let’s do it together,
Let’s do it with love,
Let’s learn,
Let’s laugh.

I’ll respect the silence that hangs in between,
But words come handy to clean,
The cobwebs of hurt, doubt & pain,
Helping us learn, love & gain.

——————————————————

We the parents so often complain our children don’t ‘listen to us’. Our children say the same about us. In a world where everyone wants to be heard but no one wants to listen, it is up to us parents to teach our children the art of listening without judging by practicing it ourselves. In my attempt at poetry, I’ve highlighted a few ways and means I try to make my 4-year-old listen to me.

* This post is part of the April A to Z Challenge 2016. My theme is Parenting.

Please find my other posts here.

51 thoughts on “Listen to me”

    1. I’ve always felt getting children to listen is really tough, but only later did I realize that they think the same about us adults with our divided attention.
      Thank you Parul 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Beautiful!
    Just as we want our children to listen to us, they want us to listen to them too. Kids learn a lot from us grown ups and so if we are not prepared to listen to what they have to say, I don’t think it’s fair to even expect them to listen to us.

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    1. The day these thoughts trespass the premises of a parent’s mind, their relationship with their children changes completely 🙂
      Thank you TH 😀

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  6. Bikramjit

    Oh yes .. not just parents and children this applies to all we know and care for.. sometimes all we have to do is just listen to them…

    To put a smile on their face..

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    1. Being a good listener is a great virtue. It adds so much joy to the lives of the people around us. Only if we all could spend more time listening than speaking our minds 🙂

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  7. elixired

    I teach you about life,
    You teach me how to have fun…:)
    There is so much to learn from each other… Very lovely poem! 🙂

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  8. Really, really beautiful! This was absolutely brilliant. A few words that carry so much weight! Singing the song of accusation, using puppets….too good! These lines not only apply to your 4YO but to children of all ages! Kudos!
    @KalaRavi16 from
    Relax-N-Rave

    Liked by 1 person

  10. fabulus1710

    This poem is beautiful. I do hope Pari reads it when she grows up. Or maybe she read it now? 🙂
    These lines : “But words come handy to clean,
    The cobwebs of hurt, doubt & pain,” are applicable for any relationship now, aren’t they 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree Fabulus, so many points here could very well be practiced in any relationship.
      ‘Being listened to’ is one thing the whole world wants, irrespective of their age 😀
      Thank you dear ❤

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    1. Welcome to my blog 🙂
      I agree we as parents have to change ourselves first to be able to play the role models our children would look up to in their growing years.
      I’m glad you liked my poem. Would love to hear more from you 🙂

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  15. One of the best things that I love when I am with my mom is the conversations that we have. I feel so much better after talking to her and I like it when she talks to me too. She understands me better than anyone else could. Having such conversations is best for a parent-child relationship is what I feel .

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’ve explained it so wonderfully Reema 🙂
      I couldn’t agree more that beyond being listened to, a child craves to hear from their parents how they perceive a situation and what they think should be done instead of just a nod or a ‘hmm’.
      Listening is the first step but a heart-to-heart conversation is the real deal 😀

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  16. As a mother and lover of poetry, I am moved by this poem, by the wonderful message it conveys. Yes, so many times we hear but don’t listen. And their lovely little hearts know the difference. Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You said it Silvia. All we do, is being carefully watched, heard and even learnt from by our children 24*7. It must be motivation enough for us parents to stop & rethink our actions from time to time.
      Thank you 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  17. You know my mumma used to say that my sis doesn’t listens to whatever she says. But sometimes explaining and making them understand is something that would help only when the kid listens. Good Poetry that makes this post more beautiful

    L- Love and Lies

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    1. I agree Stephen. I too am guilty of sometimes complaining that my child doesn’t listen to me. But lately, I have learnt that maybe I need to be a little more receptive to her need to be heard, her desire for more attention before expecting these from her.
      Thank you for sharing your experience, every bit helps learning new lessons 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Being a parent is a daily challenge and though we try our best to give it a best shot, we do leave room for more thought here and there. Though it is only human to half-listen sometimes but having this goal to be patient listeners helps big time 🙂
      Thank you Cynthia 🙂

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  21. Very true! In our house only one person is allowed to speak at a time and people have to wait until the conversation or exchange is over to talk. It makes having 3 boys talking all at once a little less stressful and then everyone is heard and everyone listens.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. 2 AM Writer

    Lovely. I think children are told what to do and how to be but never asked. I’m glad you’re bringing up your daughter in the most conscious manner, taking every single aspect seriously.

    Liked by 1 person

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