Day 203 – How to talk so your kids will listen…but what about my husband?

Several months ago (like almost a year ago), I got a book about communicating with your kids – How to Talk so Your Kids will Listen and Listen so Your Kids Will Talk.  Highly recommended by girlfriends who are rather picky about self-help and child development type books so I figured I would give it a try. Read the first chapter and tried to apply some of the things it talked about.  It did of course not solve all problems, but it was like a little miracle.  In the book at the end of each chapter are exercises that couples are supposed to do together, so I gave the book to Doug.  Well, six months later Doug had not read the book, so finally last night I asked him if I could have it back to move on to chapter 2.  I may have also applies a little guilt trip about how he had not read the one little chapter I asked him to.  Well, careful what you ask for.  He read chapter one and is totally on board.   Now when I speak harshly or start to get upset with the kids too quickly I get “Try the book tactics, they really work.”  No kidding, that is why I asked you to read it 6 months ago!  Now I have to reread the chapter it has been so long!  If we keep going at this speed we might have the book finished before the kids are in college!   At one point I did wonder if the stuff in the book would work on Doug, but I don’t really need him to talk anymore J.