Below is a message from "Daily Strength", sent to me by my loving husband, that discusses ways to get your child to stop, listen and obey. I thought it was good. You can decide what you think.

Getting Your Child To Stop, Listen and Heed Your Warning

By Cyndi January 14, 2009 12:31am

Today I heard a story about a mom who, watching her small child walk dangerously close to the street, yelled "danger". The child stopped in his tracks and returned to his mother. Through your children's young life there will be many moments of worry, anxiety and even panic at the thought of your child getting injured. This is all part of parenthood. This story reminded me of how important it is to be clear with our children and to teach them to heed our warnings. Of course we can't protect them from all the possible mishaps in life but we can instill in them a sense of awareness and a healthy sense of caution. I emphasize "healthy sense" because we don't want them to become anxious or afraid of taking any risks. That is all part of being a child. But when the moment calls for an immediate response to your admonitions, how can you best prepare for your child's safety?

While there is no perfect answer to this questions there are some useful tools we can use from the very moments we start to use the word "no". So often I see parents gently telling their small child not to touch something hot or breakable and they do this with a loving smile on their face. This is confusing to anyone, let alone a being that is just learning the subtle nuances of communication. I have even seen parents admonish their child for some inappropriate or mean behavior with this same accepting and even cheerful smile. Their expressions belie their words and do little in the way of teaching. In fact, often facial expressions carry more weight than the actual spoken word. As children get older they become incredibly sensitive to a look or a glance that means Mom or Dad has had enough and sometimes a glance is all that is needed to redirect behavior.

Here are some communication tips to keep in mind when teaching your small children to respond to a serious warning you are giving:

1) Make sure your face reflects the seriousness of the message. Your voice doesn't need to be loud just firm and clear.

2) For very small children use a hand gesture like putting your palm up or shaking a finger to signal "no".

3) Role play what may have occurred if the child completed the action. For example, if they were about to touch something hot and you stopped them, pretend that you touched the item and then act as if you were hurt by pretending to cry and holding the supposed injury.

4) Be aware of how often you use the word "no" because it can begin to lose its meaning. Chose a word like "danger" for moments that you need an immediate response such as the mother who was able to stop her child from walking into the street.

Getting our children to listen can be challenging at times but in crucial moments there is no room for error. Obviously the best thing we can do is to keep a close eye on our little ones and help them learn what is safe and what is dangerous. As any parent can tell you, it only takes a split second for your small child to get into a precarious situation and having the tools to quickly redirect them could make all the difference in the world.