How To Build A Bridge Between Parents And Their Children

Dr Chawki Hamoud: General Pediatrician, Pediatric Neonatology, Bahman Hospital-Lebanon, Haret Hreik-Lebanon

The bond of trust between parents and children is something that starts building right at birth. It is the duty every parent to fulfill the needs of their child.

The older the child gets, the more his/her needs evolve. When parents keep up with the changing needs of the children, they help increase the sense of security and confidence. Hence consolidating family ties.
This relationship changes during adolescence, as most adolescents seek independence from the family and make private decisions, unknowingly doubling the risks they may be exposed to. This is where the role of parents in helping their children to overcome the challenges they face becomes more important than ever.

How to consolidate the parent-child relation?

Step 1: Pay attention to the child’s discipline and behavior:

When parents notice unusual behavior in their child, they must look for the cause so that they can address the problem in a positive way.

Step 2: Gentle Communication:

Communication is key when it comes to any child’s social education. This refers to expressions used to motivate, guide, orientation, and blame. It’s important to keep in mind that the expressions and tones we choose can have a substantial impact on the child. Instead of expressing aggression, for example, “You are annoying when you yell,” the child should be addressed with positivity, for example, “Let’s have a conversation instead of yelling.” Resorting to such positivity builds trust between both the parents and children.

Step 3: Keeping promises:

Your children need to know that you keep your promises.
Keeping promises isn’t always easy. So be realistic with what kind of commitments you make to your child. Breaking one is sure to leave a longer impact on them.

Step 4: Developing a Sense of Responsibility:

Learning to abandon parents is not easy, so it is important to empower your children with responsibilities and set a weekly chore for them, such as watering plants or tiding the house for a specific period. Rewarding them for completing chores or offering appreciation will make them feel trustworthy.

Step 5: Considering your children as your equal:

Guide your child to be able to make their own choices. Doing this early on helps build self-confidence.

Step 6: Turning a blind eye to failure

It is important for your children to learn that effort holds more value than results. For instance, if they have worked hard at doing their best when it comes to their studies, but were not able to secure exceptional grades, draw their attention to the effort they put in. This will motivate them to continue working hard and achieve the results they need.

Step 7: Encouraging children:

Encouragement can take many forms. Ranging from physical rewards such as toys to emotional acknowledgement in the form of praise and applause.

Step 8: Dialogue and quality time:

Children value the time you spend with them. Having constructive discussions about their behavior, or even taking the time to discuss their day helps build self-confidence.

Finally, abidance to these directives provides a fostering environment for the family, allowing children to build a solid bridge to connect with their family throughout all stages of their life.

Aptamil is not the author of this article, as it has been written by Dr Chawki Hamoud who is the owner of the content

Reference:
1. relation parent-enfant , vers une parentalite positive.com 2020
2. mawdoo3.com Sanaa douakat oct 2018