These Are the 4 Most Important Words You Should Say to

Your Children if You Want them to Become Strong Leaders

Sometimes a simple question can make a huge difference.

By Jason Aten, Tech columnist@jasonaten

Being a parent is hard. You're ultimately responsible for creating an environment that makes it
possible for your children to thrive and grow and learn. I admit it doesn't sound like it should be
as hard as it is, until you realize that you only get a very short amount of time, and it races by far
faster than it should.

I don't claim to be an expert by any definition. I do, however, have four children, so I have a
little experience.

One thing I've learned is that the way we talk to our children has an extraordinary effect on both
their behavior and their self-confidence. Both of those are important in influencing the type of
adult they are becoming.

Sometimes it's hard to know just how important the things we say really are, but if your goal as a
parent is to help your children to grow into strong leaders, these four words are more powerful
than you might think:

"What do you think?"

As simple as that sounds, it's not always easy to stop and ask that question. In fact, it requires
practice--but it's absolutely worth it. For example, it can be as easy as asking them "What do you
think about what you heard at school?" Or, "What do you think we should do in this situation?"

Nov 14, 2020