11 SIGNS ON HOW TO IMPROVE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP?

There is no such thing as a perfect family. 

Everyone has tried to build a perfect family which doesn’t exist. A lot of parents often think they are doing the best for their children because they love them. That action might come with a side effect that could be dangerous to any child. Research from actforyouth shows family structure and relationships.

As children grow up, they tend to change their behavior either for better or worst. There will be frequent arguments, misunderstanding and parents will be curious why their child has changed from better to worse. This is very common to everyone family but it is necessary for parents to look for positive parenting solutions before things get out of hand. Here are 9 effective ways to improve parent child relationship.

1. HUG EACH OTHER ON A DAILY BASIS

Do you know that the more your child grows the more they need physical contact? A daily hug is important for good health. Teenagers do find it hard to hug their parents when growing up because they believe that hugging is outdated and they don’t need to participate more often which is not true. A teenager who sees himself to be independent or believe he is at the age of doing things on his own will find it hard to keep physical intimacy with his parents. Hugging will never be outdated or be a problem in improving parent child relationship. It can serve as a stress reliever or provide comfort for anyone who is sad and needs a shoulder to cry on. Most teens often change during adulthood because it can be scary and challenging to experience a new level of life, hugging your parents daily will only remind them that you still care and also cherish that they are always there for you. Physical and emotional support is one of the major backbones needed in parent child relationship.

Some parents don’t allow their children to express how they feel or tell them whatever they are going through, this is because their parents will always judge them based on experience without hearing out their children’s side. A child won’t connect well with his parent because he understands that no matter how he explains his ordeal, they won’t listen to him.

2. TURN OFF TECHNOLOGY DEVICES DURING INTERACTIONS

Technology is one of the tools people are addicted to in the world today. It will be very hard to walk away from the use of technology and the best way to improve parent and child relationships is to stay away from it during family time. When interacting with your parents it will be best if you are phone is on silent, there will always be time for you to answer email or text after having a conversation with your parent. During a family car drive, you need to turn off the music and give your parent the opportunity to talk and connect with you but if it is a family song, you can use it to bond with them. Staying away from technology can build healthy parent child relationship.

No parent would love to take away their children’s mobile phone but it will be a thing of shame to be on your phone while your parents are having a conversation with you. Don’t allow social media or the use of technology to break the bond you are having with your parent. You can do better whenever you are with your parent, no one wants to see their children unhappy.

3. CONNECT BEFORE TRANSITIONS OR LARGE DECISION-MAKING

Transition period for children is often challenging and hard to figure out, especially during their teenage. Your child will start to figure out how they want to live and the kind of life that fits their lifestyle, at this stage they will tend to follow their decision only which means they will ignore their parent. Also, there will be days where they will make irrational decisions about what next to do in life, you can improve parent child relationship by showing them love and support that you will always be there for them. You can advise them on what steps to take if they are stuck, it might not be easy when talking to them on what next to do. It will be best to use a tone that sounds conversational because a commanding tone won’t help instead this will push them away from you.

Give them time to choose what they want to do, listen to their opinion and you can be supportive by giving out advice without any problem. If your child notices that you are acting with command and you give no room for explanation, he will stop talking to you and parent child relationship won’t be established. 

 

4. MAKE TIME TO SPEND QUALITY 1:1 TIME WITH EACH OTHER

The older you get the more responsibilities will stack up. You will have to start building your skills or work on your desired career, you will have no time to chat will your friends because everyone would have started chasing their own dreams. There will be no contact with them and you have to create a schedule before seeing each other.

This makes it incredibly easy to put your family on the back burner when you are already juggling work with your social life. You always need to remember that spending quality time with your parents is very important. It might be hard to keep postponing any plans probably when you are alone or looking for a new networking circle, but all this could be done through a parent child relationship. 

When there is a distance between parent and child, bonding will be hard. Creating a personal bond with your parents will always be difficult when you grow up. If you decide to ghost your parents, this will only destroy your relationship with them. You can create time each day and have conversations with your parents, weekend will be great to have dinner or game night. There is nothing greater than spending time with your family.

5. ENCOURAGE EMOTIONS INSTEAD OF SHUTTING THEM OUT

It is important to know how to deal with your child’s emotions because your judgment can hurt their feelings. Don’t be too quick to push them away during arguments, it would be great if you can keep your emotions in check. You need to remember that every strong relationship is built on how we communicate our emotions. The moment you know that your child is hurt, as a parent it is your duty to support them during the trial period and help them navigate a hard time. Your emotions can put them in problems or make them avoid you anytime they are going through crises. It would be best if you can form a parent and child bond, where your child can have full confidence in you without feeling bad.

6. KEEP AN EYE ON THEIR LITTLE JOYS

Being on the lookout for your child’s little joy is one of the ways to improve parent child relationship. You as an elder in the house would surely know how it felt to be a child once and no one can understand your child like you. Every detail about your child should be stored like a memory which you cannot forget anytime soon if your son or daughter is living far away from you. 

Celebrating their homecoming can be awesome since you know what they like and the type of gifts that will make them bond well with you. Planning a surprise family party or going on a vacation with them will not only trigger conscious parenting in you but also give time for any family matters to be discussed and solved easily.

7. LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND, NOT WITH THE INTENT TO REACT

Noting make sense then to understand your child, this will give you time to confirm they are angry emotions. You need to take your time to listen and understand your child’s problem. Even if you are don’t agree with their actions, it will be best to remove yelling from the preferred solution. A result of shouting at your child during an argument will leads to a breakdown in communication, this may lead to fighting between you and your child and they might stop talking to you. Learn how to work out your difference with your child, create a solution where both of you can have a mutual ground to discuss anything and agree on what is best for the family.

8. RESPECT BOUNDARIES

You need to respect your child’s boundaries. If you want a good parent child relationship with your child, it will be best if you can create healthy boundaries with your child. The only challenge you can face is when your child starts demanding more privacy and freedom and all this happens because you don’t respect their boundaries in the first place. You can make mistakes when practicing good parenting because this will allow you to make mistakes and learn from them. Allow your child to grow while you provide support for them, don’t give space for failure to take over your child while confining them in your own space.

9. PLAY TOGETHER

Playing with your child can improve their life, skills, and how they relate with people. One of the tools that can be used to help children to express emotions, learn language skills is through play. It will be fun to improve parent child relationship when you play with them. It doesn’t matter how many hours you spent with your child or the type of play you engaged in but what is important mainly is how you both enjoy each other time with no interruptions. 

10. BE AVAILABLE AND DISTRACTION-FREE

You need to set aside time for your child, it might not be a straight hour but be there for them whenever they need you. Stay away from work when you are at home, put down all electronic devices and turn off the tv while you spend time with your child. It will be great for your child to know that they are important in your life enough though there are distractions around and work pressure for you to handle. Note that no one can take care of your family like you and the more you neglect them the more they are bound to stop communicating with you.

11. Show Your Love

Parental love cannot be neglected because it is needed at every child stage. If you want your child to have a healthy emotional and psychological bond with you, it will be best for you to show affection, love, and care for them whenever they are down or sad. Gentle hugs that turn a sad day into a joyous day, if it is applied in a great way. You can always connect with your child through warm expressions, by smiling with them, and by encouraging honest interaction during conversations. 

FAQ

• WHAT IS A GOOD PARENTING/CHILD RELATIONSHIP?

The best way to make a positive relationship with your child is through good parenting. Trust and respect are paramount when improving parent child relationship. Your child will always come to when once they earn your trust, it is very hard for a child to trust their parents because most don’t respect their children’s boundaries.

• HOW DOES PARENTS’ RELATIONSHIP AFFECT CHILD?

Parent relationship might have both negative and positive effects on their child, it all depends on the type of approach you showed during a conversation. Your child can be depressed while in school or at home and might need someone to hold his hand but if your talk with him has negative effect instead of positive on him. Your child will never come to you for any advice again.

• WHY IS THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP SO IMPORTANT?

The parent-child relationship is important if you want to nurture your child in terms of physical, emotional, and social development in society. There is a unique bond between a child and his parent, you can help your child to navigate through life hurdles and help them to make overall choices in life. All this depends on how you can handle their emotions without being judgmental.