Welcome back to Term 4. I hope that the holidays were a time for you to spend some quality time with your children and to take a break from the routine of the school term.  

Yesterday, I was running some errands in a local shopping centre. It was a place that I used to visit regularly many years ago as we lived very close by, but we moved out of the area, and I haven’t been back very often. As I walked through the centre, I passed a café that I used to visit, and although it has changed names, the location and layout were the same as I remembered.  

I saw a mum and her son sitting at the café, having an afternoon snack and spending time together. It made me feel nostalgic about the times that I used to do the same thing with my son. Sometimes, after school and on the way home we would stop and have afternoon tea together and spend time chatting about the day. My son is now in his late teens – in fact almost his 20s, and those memories came back quickly and vividly as it is a very treasured memory.  

As I came closer to the mother and her son, I noticed that the mum was on her phone, perhaps checking emails or replying to a message. This is so easy to do as we tend to become distracted by the busyness of life and we live in a society where our phones are always with us and easily steal our attention.  I suddenly thought about the importance of time with our children and how easy it is to take it for granted, how quickly it passes, and also how significant it is.  

In an article by written by Dr Justin Coulson entitled STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN to Your Kids, he likens the idea of listening to our children to crossing the road. 

When we cross the road, we stop, look, and listen. It helps us navigate a physically hazardous or challenging situation. Relationships with our children can be like crossing the road. If we aren’t willing to stop, look, and listen, we may miss something important heading our way, and we, or our child, or even our whole family, could get hit by it. Perhaps it is a friendship challenge, an issue at school, or a toddler feeling like she needs to be comforted. 

He goes on to share some research that outlines the benefits of listening to our children.  

Researchers have uncovered a surprising finding. Children whose parents are willing to stop, look, and listen tend to become less needy. These children learn over time that when they need their parents, they’ll be there. They feel secure in that relationship. Conversely, children who have parents who push them away, say, “not now”, or tell them to “hurry up” all the time worry about whether their parents will be available and they become more needy. 

As we start a new term, I look ahead at the calendar and see that we have many special events planned such as the Book Fair, Science Week, Excursions, a Fun Run and of course, end-of-year celebrations such as our community Carols program. As we venture into this busy time of the year, it is my hope that you find opportunities to stop, look and listen to your children and build memories that will be treasured by them, and by you, for many years to come.  

Kerri Charity 

Deputy Principal 

STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN to Your Kids | Happy Families Schools