One of the main reasons that parents connect with me for parenting support is that their child has stopped listening. If you are reading this article, you are not alone! It usually comes down to one basic thing: children don’t listen because we have taught them to ignore us the first time we ask.
“I just want him to have fewer tantrums.”
“Her outbursts last forever, and I don’t know how to calm her down.”
“He freaks out over the smallest things.”
They say there are no silly questions. They are wrong. There are, in fact, many silly questions. I know because I ask them more often than Kim Kardashian posts a selfie. In the spirit of conscious parenting and minimizing the urge to stab myself with a LEGO brick, I’ve composed a list of silly questions to stop asking my kids.
We all want to give our children as much love and encouragement as possible, but, in our busy lives, it’s easy to forget that one of the most powerful ways to love our children doesn’t involve words. It’s found in quiet, physical moments – an arm around a shoulder, a sleepy hug before school, or in the way a child leans in during a bedtime story. Touch may seem like a small thing, but it’s one of the first and most important languages of connection.
Page 5 of 97
Calgary’s Child Magazine © 2026 Calgary’s Child
