There are few relationships in your life that are going to be more important than the ones you form with your children. These relationships are the hardest to maintain, but are also the ones most filled with love. As children grow into adults, they feel strongly about being independent, and that can strain any good parent-child bond. However, they need their parents more than every during this time. Take the time to build strong relationships with our children so your bond will not break, no matter how bumpy the road may become through the year.
Strong relationships with children are harder than they sound. When children are babies they totally and completely rely on their parents for care and love. This is the easy part, though things like vacations and sleeping through the night are lost, a strong love to last a lifetime is born. To keep strong relationships past the infant and toddler years, it is going to take some work. Most parents have the best of intentions, but life can get in the way. Make sure this does not happen, and if it has, know it is not too late to turn things around.
When your children are below the age of ten, you can start maintaining strong relationships with them by listening to what they have to say. You may have children that talk a lot about nothing, but you want to be sure you are listening when they really have something important to say. If they feel that they can come to you and you will listen to them no matter what they have to say, they are going to be more willing to come to you later when their thoughts or actions can have a bigger impact on their lives. Strong relationships start young, so make sure you tune in each day.
As your children go through the tween and teenage years, strong relationships are going to be tested. Weak ones may fail completely. Keep your relationships strong and open, even when you have to back down on occasion. There is a good reason why many are giving the advice to choose your battles wisely. You want to keep your strong relationships strong, stay in charge, but you also want to give your children some independence. Listen, allow them to earn some privileges, and never assume silence means everything is okay.
As your children go into adulthood, you may worry your strong relationships are faltering because they only call you once a week and even then, they keep the call short. Remember that this too shall pass. Your children still need you, they just need you in a different way. Soon enough they are going to think about marriage and may have children of their own, and when they do, they are going to need Mom and Dad on call. By then, they can appreciate all you have done for them and they can rely on you for advice. Strong relationships with your children are not always easy to maintain, but they are worth their weight in gold.