Today we see kids being disrespectful, dishonest, and even rebellious toward their parents more than ever before. While there are always exceptions, this is often the result of poor parenting skills that have created or enhanced the issues in a child’s behavior.
In some cases, children need discipline when negative behavior is displayed, but discipline is only a short-term solution if the love for your child is not properly communicated.
In this article, we’ll talk about some very simple ways that you can bond with your kids and create a loving, honest, and respectful relationship that will last a lifetime.
Have Dinner Together
Eating together as a family is a tradition that many of us have grown up practicing. However, there are many families today that eat dinner in separate rooms of their home. While there’s nothing wrong with a casual dinner once in a while, eating together as a family allows everyone to maintain daily communication with each other.
Communication is the first key to success when it comes to bonding with your children. Your kids need to feel like you’re listening. If your kids feel like you’re listening, they’ll come to you when they feel upset and trust that you’re going to be emotionally present for them.
You can practice your listening skills every night at the dinner table.
Go On Vacations Together
Going on vacations with your kids is an incredible way to bond as a family. Kids want to have fun and explore new places, and if you’re the person that provides these experiences for them, they’re going to love you for it! (Even more than they already do!)
Now when I say vacations, this doesn’t mean you need to go all out. Most people cannot afford to bring their kids to Disney World many times throughout the year, and you seriously don’t need to do that.
You can go on reasonably priced vacations that won’t take too much time away from work, and that don’t cost you an arm and a leg. Here are some examples:
- Camping
- Staying at an Airbnb across town
- Going to the beach
- Visit friends or family
- Hiking at a national park
These examples are very affordable, and you can even limit the time of your vacation down to two days, that way you don’t have to miss work days.
Practice Your Listening Skills
Most younger kids babble on about nonsense and it can be really hard to pay attention to what they’re saying at times. As annoying as it may be, it is crucial that you listen to their ideas and questions as often as you can, especially while your kids are young. Ignoring them too much could result in anger issues, low self-esteem, loss of trust, etc.
Addressing your child’s questions and thoughts early on encourages them to be critical thinkers and even promotes creativity.
When you listen to your kids while they’re young, they’re far more likely to go to you when they grow older and start experiencing more serious issues.
Participate In The Fun
If you’re like most people, you probably work full-time so your kids are able to eat and live under a roof, and for that you deserve the upmost respect.
If you’re able to find time in your busy schedule, try joining in on whatever they’re doing for fun. Most kids today like to play video games or build Legos, so if you have 30 minutes to spare, grab the extra remote or Legos and spend some time with your kid.
Have Family Game Nights
Hosting a family game night with your kids will strengthen the bond you have tremendously. When you engage together in fun activities like board games or video games, they will associate your presence with positivity and excitement.
Reward Positive Behavior
While our kids are growing up, they’re bound to make poor choices, and it’s our responsibility as parents to correct these choices and enforce discipline.
Focusing too much on your child’s mistakes however, can cause your child to feel uncomfortable in your presence in the long term. It’s very important to reward positive behavior just as often as you correct negative behavior.
