It is very important to build a relationship with your child from an early age. What can we do to make our offspring trust us and consider us their friends?
The friendship of a parent and a child is completely different from the friendship of children or adults. Don’t forget this. Some parents mistakenly think that they can treat their offspring as an equal partner in every matter. It is worth building a healthy relationship with your child that is based on friendship and trust. But how to do it?
A young child stares at its parents like a picture in a painting and trusts them implicitly. However, it is important to remember that this time ends at some point – usually during the school years, when new friends appear. Adults only tell them to do their homework and study. That’s why it’s important to show your child from an early age that they can trust us. The key is not to just give him the commands “do this”, “bring this”, etc., but to explain why we require it.
Keep in mind that even toddlers have their own problems that cannot be ignored or laughed at or told to others (especially when the child hears). An adult with such behavior shows his/her superiority over the offspring and ignorance, which will certainly not affect good relationships in the future
A child needs love at any age. It is known that an older child is often embarrassed to show affection towards a parent in front of friends or classmates. That is why it is worth letting go and cuddling your child, e.g. in the evening, when you are alone, and supporting it in everything it does
Nothing builds the bond with the child as much as spending time together. It does not matter whether it is a trip together, going to the cinema, riding a bike or shopping. The important thing is that both the parent and the child enjoy being in each other’s company and do what makes them happy
It is also important to spend time together at home, rather than constantly passing each other by. There are plenty of ways to do this – you can prepare a meal together, clean, rearrange or even study together
You cannot build a friendship without mutual respect, which should be taught to a child from an early age. Children observe adults and perfectly sense their emotions. Let’s make sure that they do not witness family conflicts, gossip or misunderstandings. Show them every day that you respect your partner and your friends
Respect your offspring’s opinions, and if you disagree, explain why – a “no, because you don’t” or “you won’t understand because you’re too young” response is not the best option. You should never respond aggressively, insult the child, etc. Such behavior will create an invisible barrier between the parent and the offspring, and you can forget about friendship.
A parent should control his or her child and keep him or her safe. However, he/she has to do it wisely, so that the child does not feel cornered and dominated. When this happens, the child may become aggressive, distrustful and resentful of the parent who imposes everything from above. It is important to set clear boundaries for yourself and your child, which you should not cross. It cannot be that we supervise our offspring’s every step and forbid him everything. The child needs contact with peers, so let him go to the cinema with friends from time to time.
Main photo: CDC/unsplash.com
