Suicide rates in this country are alarming.

Domestic violence and child abuse stories are reported by the media every day.

People are angry and frustrated about foreign policy, the economy and lack of decent health care.

Tempers flare on roadways and in department stores and post offices.

A disconnect is taking place in every level of our society.  Husbands and wives don’t communicate with each other.  Parents don’t communicate with their children.  Children don’t communicate with parents, siblings and classmates.

Perhaps we are descending into an electronic black hole where people will no longer know how to talk to each other face-to-face.  Everywhere you look fingers are flying on computers and electronic devices.

Television shows like The View and The Chew attempt to enable viewers to simulate sitting down with friends or family members and chatting about what is happening or how they are feeling. 

The simulation is not working and people need to rediscover how to communicate with one another.

Perhaps The View should be replaced by The Clue, a show with a panel of parenting experts who address the problem of communication between family members, friends and co-workers.  Learning how to communicate includes knowing how to listen as well as knowing when to talk and what to say.  

The Chew is a fairly new show that adds cooking activities to the celebrity chatter.  How about replacing it with The Do, a show where the hosts and a small group of children read a picture book story, do a quick and easy craft project and prepare a healthful child-friendly recipe together.  Children watching the show at home would enjoy hearing the story and observing the kids on TV interacting with each other.  Parents at home would see how valuable such simple activities can be in building self-esteem, developing reading readiness skills and providing their children with a fun-filled day.  These are the same activities parents and teachers will find in my award-winning book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking.  To ring in the New Year, we are offering FREE SHIPPING on our website if you order a copy of the book in the next thirty days. 

Do you want to start off the year building your child’s self-esteem and developing your child’s literacy skills?  The book is endorsed by parents, educators, self-esteem experts and national organizations such as the JDRF and will give you great story suggestions and quick and easy activities.  Grab a copy now and make 2012 a fun-filled self-esteem building year for your family.

Will The View be replaced by The Clue?  Will TV sponsors opt for The Do instead of The Chew?  That probably won’t happen.  But parents can take some simple steps in 2012:

• Sit down together as a family for dinner every night (or as often as possible).
• Plan a family talk and listen time…some families have a talking stick…whoever is holding the stick is the one who has the floor.
• Work on family projects together…everyone should be responsible for certain chores…even young children.
• Arrange special events that the whole family can enjoy that don’t cost a lot of money…a nature hike to a local park where everyone helps pick up litter; a summer picnic of sandwiches and lemonade on a blanket in the living room in the middle of the winter.

How do you promote good communication in your family?  I’d love to hear.

Related articles

• Building Your Child’s Self Esteem (shareitforward.ca)