#4 Talking at children is a monologue with the parent doing all the talking and listening. “I’m tired of hearing myself talk.” I can remember my mother frequently making this comment. Frankly, she was talking, but I wasn’t listening. I had all of her “sermons” memorized. So when she turned on the message, I tuned out. Failing to learn anything, I began preaching to my children. Then I discovered my children doing the same thing to me—tuning me out. Old habits are hard to break. Parenting is not an