When both my boys were toddlers, they would often not pay attention to me when I gave an instruction, especially an instruction they didn’t want to follow right at that moment. Sometimes they would respond, but I knew they weren’t really listening. The parenting books all agree that when talking with children you should get down to their level. “Look right here, at my face,” I would say, and then make eye contact. Often, I would make them repeat what I said so I knew they ...