Three Tips for Fostering Better Communication and Problem Solving with Your Family

Did you know that 40% of U.S. children have divorced parents? Out of these children, between 20 and 25% end up having trouble adapting to changes in the family structure. This often leads to more serious issues in young adulthood, such as depression and substance abuse.

If you are looking for online help with family issues, you don’t need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. Most families require outside help sooner or later. The only mistake you can make is doing nothing to fix the problems. Here are three tips you can use for family issues help.

1. Helping Children Cope with Change

Divorce is one source of family change, but there are many others, including death, illness or relocation. To help kids transition, maintain as many established routines as possible, or quickly put new ones in place. Work as best you can to provide a positive, stable environment for your child. Did you know that having family dinners helps kids stay on the right track? Only 9% of kids who eat with their parents perform badly in school, compared to 20% of kids who eat with their families less than three times every week.

2. How to Talk to Your Kid

There have been many studies that indicate ways to approach conversation that will help you communicate with your children, and reduce tension in the home. In actuality, though, these are good tips for talking to anyone, whether they are your child or your spouse. To begin with, avoid yes or no questions, and rely on open ended questions instead. Studies have found that children revealed about 140 details when interviewers used an open ended conversation frame, compared to 50 with yes/no. Try to keep conversation open, and be careful not to imply judgement with your responses before hearing what others have to say.

3. Recognizing the Signs of Dysfunction

Sometimes, you might be late to getting online family issue help because you didn’t realize there were problems to begin with. Recognizing the signs of dysfunction is an important step towards solving problems in your family. For families where dysfunction has become typical, you will need to work extra hard to distinguish trouble from normal behaviors. Key indicators include high levels of jealousy, conditional love, excessive criticism, scapegoating, faulty discipline, denial, and missing boundaries.

Are you looking for online help with family issues? Let us know in the comments