Simple Steps To Build A Strong Friendship With Your Child

Many individuals regard parenting as a frightening task. Parents must raise their children properly to raise them to be independent, responsible, and joyful adults. And it’s a difficult profession because you have to be assertive at times to get the job done. 

Children may be annoying and disobedient, but being stern with them can be beneficial in forcing them to be disciplined. However, few parents contemplate the possibility of being best friends with their children! 

Being friends with your child does not guarantee that he will obey you when it is necessary. So, let’s look at the ways to build a friendship with your child.

Steps To Build A Strong Friendship With Your Child

1. Hug And Compliment Them

A healthy foundation for friendship requires both physical love and verbal reinforcement. Huges all around. Hug your children even if you were not raised in a hugging family. They, like you, require the warmth of physical contact. 

Physical contact expresses affection and security, from softly cradling a newborn infant to holding a preadolescent. Encourage your children to hug one another. Allow them to start by holding a baby sibling or sister.

Say “I love you” frequently. When conversing with our children, it is important to look them in the eyes. When you want to interact with them, kneel at their level and let them know that what you are saying to one another is vital. 

Recognize them for the tiny things. “It was lovely of you to compliment your brother on the lovely painting he created.” Recognize them for their achievements. “You performed an excellent job assisting me in cleaning up.”

2. Consider Discipline To Be An Asset

A young child will strive to influence and take command. He’ll try to get his way. While the youngster may not be consciously attempting to exert control, he is. A sensible parent would not allow this to happen. 

Allowing a youngster to manipulate or control places a terrible, unjust load on the child. Firm discipline relieves a youngster of this load while also instilling moral values and respect in the child for the parent. When a youngster respects his parents, he respects others as well.

Firm discipline and affection are not opposed, yet many well-meaning parents today unwittingly act as if they are. Some of these parents came from abusive households where punishment was harsh or brutal. 

The discipline of any type is considered abusive by them. To avoid repeating their parents’ mistakes, they have abandoned punishment in favor of trying to appease the youngster. There is no way to persuade a stubborn two-year-old. 

Your kid has to understand that “no” means “no,” not “maybe if you whine enough.” Firm discipline is vital to create a bond with your child, especially in the early years.

3. Laughter Should Be Encouraged

One of the memories I want my children to have is laughing together. We shall teach our children to laugh at themselves as we learn to laugh at ourselves. I once cooked a homemade birthday cake for John. 

The flour included bugs, and I used the incorrect type of oil. It was uneven, bug-infested, and disgusting to eat. But he made the whole thing so amusing that we all laughed and nicknamed it “Mom’s renowned recipe—prepared just once.”

Our sense of humor should be upbeat and free of snark. It’s all too easy to slide into harmful cynical, caustic humor. Laugh at yourself and ask for comedy in your home.

4. Listen With An Open Mind

Listening with understanding is another crucial part of creating a connection with your children. In other words, when speaking with your child, we advise you to become an active listener. Eye contact with the speaker is required for active listening. 

A good listener will never presume he understands what his child is saying. Instead, ask clarifying questions about what the youngster has stated. Then, using other terms, restate what you believe he meant.

5. Make Time For Each Other

When questioned about the advantages of growing up in an affluent family, a successful young attorney stated that his father gave him the finest present he ever got. A little package was found among the stacks of neatly wrapped presents on Christmas morning. 

Inside was a message that said, “Son, this year I will give you 365 hours, one hour after supper every day.” Remember that friendships do not develop by happenstance. Instead, real friendships develop as a result of regular—preferably daily—time spent together. We must develop the habit of scheduling special times for our children daily.

6. Touch That Has Meaning

Touching is the final method we’ve discovered for assisting youngsters in developing genuine connections. When you gently touch your child—soft, delicate, and full of warmth—millions of nerve endings convey messages to the brain, where chemicals are produced to promote your child’s health. 

According to researchers, parents who hold their children at least six times each day can add months, if not years, to their life expectancy. When a youngster is not touched frequently, his or her growth is inhibited. Children have perished due to a lack of contact, love, and affection. Your child will gain not just physically, but also emotionally.

Conclusion

Growing up may be a challenging experience for a youngster. We all recall how many things we had to learn, how many errors we made, and how many times we required help or counsel. There are several concerns that youngsters do not discuss with their parents. 

They are afraid that their father may become enraged and chastise them. Young children are often afraid of being scolded, which causes them to keep silent about many of their concerns and challenges.

Being friends with your child allows him to disclose not just his concerns, but also his most intimate secrets. This turns into many joyful times spent as a family. So go ahead and create the lovely house you’ve always desired… Make your youngster your best buddy!