10 Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Your Children

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs there is, but aside from taking care of your child, it is also your responsibility to maintain a close relationship and open communication with your children so that you will be able to stay connected to them during all stages of life. Aside from that, having a strong parent-child relationship or connection can make parenting easier because children will feel more connected to their parents. They will be more inclined to want to listen, follow directions, and help. They will also be more willing to talk to their parents about their problems or issues. 

However, most modern families today have full schedules. In fact, even home time can feel hectic because parents have dinner, homework, and bath time to check off the list. Some parents worry that they do not have much time to spend with their children because of work as well. But even if you have a busy life, you still need to have a strong relationship with your child.

Importance of Improving Relationships with Children 

Single Mother At Home Getting Son Wearing Uniform Ready For First Day Of School

A healthy relationship between parents and children is vital for peace in the home and the best physical, emotional, and social development of the children. Most relationship issues children face as adults are rooted in their conflicting relationships with their parents. 

How we, as parents, treat children is crucial for laying the foundation of the child’s personality. It affects and hones their confidence along with their abilities to deal with several personal and social issues. A peek into some of the core benefits of a healthy parent-child relationship is as follows:

  • A healthy parent-child relationship yields a personality with secure and content relationships in the future. It can help children understand the delicacies of adult relationships and how to strive and preserve them instead of just moving on with unresolved issues. 
  • One of the most important benefits of a healthy parent-child relationship is that children learn to regulate their emotions. They learn how to express and control themselves in stressful situations. 
  • Early development years are crucial for a child’s linguistic development. The more you develop an engaging relationship with your children and appreciate their little thoughts, the more they develop strong linguistic abilities. 
  • A confident child in social settings reflects promoting and supporting parents at home. Nurturing children’s confidence is an essential benefit of a healthy parent-child relationship. 
  • If a child feels secure in a relationship with his parents, he grows to develop secure attachments in the future. The child tends to emanate confidence in balancing many social and personal relationships in life. 
  • A healthy and open relationship with parents also results in children with high problem-solving skills. When the little ones know and observe how issues get sorted out at home, they can apply the same principles later in their lives.  
  • The best thing to come out of a strong and healthy parent-child relationship is tolerant children. When they witness the resolution of conflicts and respect differences of opinions at home, children tend to learn it and apply it in various walks of their lives. 

Loving mom talking to upset little child girl giving support

If you are looking for ways on how you can improve your relationship with your child but can’t seem to fit them into your busy schedule, then you no longer have to worry. It’s because there are lots of things you can do, even before lights out, that can increase your bond and build trust with your child. Today, we are giving you a list of ways to improve your relationship with your child. 

1. Always Tell Your Children That You Love Them

One of the best ways to improve your relationship with your children is to tell them every day that you love them. This will still apply no matter their age. When you and your children have disagreements, you should make sure that you love them unconditionally even when you do not like how they behave. Grab those opportunities to communicate your love to your children whenever conflicts arise. Remember that even a simple “I love you” can help big in strengthening a parent-child relationship. 

2. Listen to Your Children Carefully

Everyone wants to feel like they are heard and listened to, and that includes your children as well. There are times that children are going through things that may seem small to adults but are big issues to them. This is why you need to learn listening skills that will help you understand your children’s emotions and what they are trying to convey in conversations. Listening to your children carefully can help in solving problems and it can also make your children feel that you understand them better. 

3. Let Your Children Help You

There are parents who do not allow their children to help them. However, you might miss out on opportunities for closeness if you do not usually let your children help you with chores and tasks at home. For example, you can let them help you unload the groceries when you get home from the store. Most children feel powerful when they are able to help. You can also ask them about their opinions in choosing your shoes, dress, and other things as this will make them feel like you value their opinions. 

4. Have a Playtime with Your Children

Playing with your children can also improve your relationship with them. Sometimes, you also need to get down on the floor and play with them. You can play board games, dolls, and other activities. It does not matter what game you play as long as you are enjoying each other’s company and that you are giving your undivided attention to them. According to some studies, there are also significant benefits from playing such as learning social skills and bonding with the parent. 

5. Eat Meals Together

Eating together as a family is really important because it sets the stage for conversation and sharing. Therefore, when it’s time for dinner or every time you eat together, turn off the TV and do not rush through a meal. If you’re not that busy, then talk longer and enjoy one another. Eating meals together as a family will enable your children to remember that quality time as they grow up. 

6. Respect the Choices of Your Children

You may not like the choices of your children when it comes to clothes or how they designed their rooms with decorations, but it is important that you respect their choices. Children can become independent at a young age and it’s the parents’ responsibility to help them foster those decision-making skills. You can do that by supporting their choices. 

7. Have One-On-One Moments

You can also set one-on-one moments with your child to be able to catch up with each other. You can simply go out for a walk around your neighborhood, go to the playground, or maybe have a movie night with just the two of you. This way, you will be able to bond more and improve your relationship with each other. 

8. Develop and Maintain Bedtime Rituals

Telling stories to children before bedtime creates lifelong rituals. For busy parents, bedtime can be the only time they can share with their children therefore, you need to make that time calm and enjoyable. If your children can already read, you can have them read a page or a chapter to you. If you have teenagers, then saying goodnight to them in a special way can still be enjoyed by them.

9. Share a Personal Story to Your Children

If you want to share a piece of yourself with your children, then telling them a personal story can help. For example, you can share with them stories when you were their age. You can also give them advice from the things and mistakes that you’ve done before. When you share stories with them about you, you need to be honest when they ask questions. By doing this, you will get closer together and it also helps in building trust. 

10. Make Your Children a Priority in Your Life

A young mother talking to her toddler son inside in a bedroom.

If you really want to improve your relationship with your children, then you need to make them a priority in your life and let them know that they are. Children can notice if their parents are not paying them attention. It is part of parenthood to enjoy your children and forget about the things you are worrying about for a while. You need to take advantage of your time together while you still have it. 

These are the different ways we can recommend for you to improve your relationship with your children. These are very simple things but can really help in improving your relationship. You don’t have to book expensive vacations or do grand gestures to improve your relationship. Sometimes, all it takes is a little time to bond and talk to be able to understand each other and encourage children to do their best. If you want to read more about self-improvement, then you can check out our other posts here.