Working collaboratively with all of the caregivers and supervisors in your child’s life is an essential part of parenting. Sometimes emotions run high, and different perspectives can be challenging to merge. However, learning skills to encourage an open dialogue is beneficial to both your child’s needs and development as well as your stress level. Here’s how three local moms encourage open and honest communication on the front end!
“When it comes to communication regarding my children, I always ask for and encourage honest and open dialogue. Some things that work well for my husband and me are asking for an in-person conversation about important matters – remembering that a conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue – and scheduling follow-up conversations and points of action. Ensuring that tone and intention are easily understood in-person and making sure all parties have a chance to speak is also helpful. Occasionally, when it’s necessary, we take a more formal approach and write down and practice what we need to say. Or if we’re writing an email, we proofread each other’s writing. We’ve found it very helpful to establish a two-way street for communication; building a direct relationship with our children’s teachers, coaches, and other supervisors has been monumental in helping our children develop.”
Katya Smith
Signal Mountain
“My daughter is 7 years old, so my communication with her teacher and coaches is a little different from my 1-year-old son’s. My daughter is very independent and strong-willed, so I encourage her basketball coach to be tough with her as I nurture her at home. My son is currently at the age where he is learning who to trust without being able to communicate his feelings. His nanny tries to mimic my pointers with her own personality so that my son is comfortable and feels loved. Being able to trust my children’s supervisors is very important to me, and trustworthiness is one of the top qualities I look for in others when my children are in their care.”
Kayla Varner-Dingle
East Brainerd
“With an infant daughter, I have found that two-way communication is so important – daily reports sent home from her caregivers at daycare keep me informed on how she’s eating, sleeping, and interacting with other children and advancing socially. This in turn helps me be able to nurture her at home with the right focus and timing. Likewise, I try my best to communicate important updates and milestones to her caregivers to keep them equally informed about her development. Having that sense of trust in the women who are caring for my daughter is so important! I know that they have her best interest at heart and are willing to listen to my input just as much as they go above and beyond to keep me informed.”
Teal Thibaud
St. Elmo
