Make sure to always express yourself clearly and precisely. Short and meaningful sentences are important to ensure that you get your message across. In turn, you should sensitively react, with real interest, to your child's comments, like "school is stupid"; don't just dismiss them. Try to get to the root of the problem through intelligent questions and active listening. Another basic rule for good communications: I-messages are better than you-messages. Actually, a you-message is mostly understood by the other person as an accusation or belittlement, just making the situation more muddled or hopeless. One typical example: "You never do your homework on time." An alternative with a higher probability of cooperation might be, for example: "I am vexed that you are not doing your homework on time. What can we do to make you complete it in good time?"