April 11, 2015　=========
☆ listen　聞く
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I’m reading a book called, “10 Mindful Minutes” at the moment, it’s by Goldie Hawn, do you know her? She is actually a famous American actress from the 1980’s, her daughter is Kate Hudson, who is also a famous actress. Anyway, when she had children she realized that being a parent wasn’t that easy, and she wanted to learn about how to teach our kids to deal with stress and anxiety so that they can be happier and healthier. Her research led her to write this book and create the Mind Up institute.
Naturally, one of the key things in the book is about how to listen. When we listen we really tend to just be listening to see what we can say next! When we are listening to our kids we are probably thinking about the grocery shopping or what is for dinner! One tip for helping you listen better is very simple: Stop what you are doing! Easy, right? Put down your Smart Phone, turn off the TV, sit down with the person if that is possible. And although it is not strictly about listening to others, the other tip is to use the correct emotional tone when responding. Your tone should accurately reflect how your child is feeling (e.g. if they are proud of a project they did, your tone should match that pride.) Obviously, these two tips apply when listening to anyone, not just children, and if you use them when you are listening to others speaking English, I think you’ll find listening to English easier too.
Bye,
Chris