Contribution made by Becky W.
Dad, did you know that your relationship with your children is one of the best indicators of their success in life?
That’s right, your influence as a father has an enormous impact on your children’s self-esteem, happiness, emotional and social development, and confidence. No one can adequately fill the place of a dad in a child’s life–that is, except you.
Do you wish you were more connected with your kids? Do you find it difficult to communicate with them, or is your relationship all about homework, discipline, and bedtime–and not much about fun?
Rest assured, building a great relationship with your children can be done. All it takes is some creativity, time and dedication.
To build a relationship with your child, the time you spend together needs to be:
- Dedicated–turn off that cell phone–let this time be all about your son or daughter.
- Regular–let them count on their time with you by being consistent once a week or a couple times a month.
- Fun–pick activities that are enjoyable for both of you to build a strong bond and lasting memories.
- Positive –keep things positive and upbeat. This isn’t the time to discuss their negative behavior. Be encouraging. Start to really build those lines of communication.
Spending time with your kids doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It’s all about spending both quality and quantity time.
Like building any relationship, consistency is key. A great relationship is not going to magically happen if you spend only an hour here or there with your child. You want to have a regular schedule they can count on like “Saturday mornings with dad” or “Monday afternoons with dad.”
A great way to keep you in the groove is to pick an ongoing activity to do with your child.
For example, consider taking up a hobby together. You might build a model car, work on a 1,000 piece puzzle, or build a tree fort out back. Some of the best projects may take several weeks or even months of regular special time together to finish. Make the hobby something special that you only do together. These types of activities can be a great learning and bonding opportunity.
One great way to bond with your child is to play an instrument with them. For example, if you know how to play guitar begin to teach them how to play. Practice together–again this is another regularly scheduled activity you can commit to do with your child. If you don’t know how to play an instrument, that’s okay. Take piano lessons for beginners together. Going through a learning process together will be a great experience for both of you.
Another way to relate to your children is through technology, since that’s probably something they are already all about. If your child has a game system, take the time to learn about the popular games and set up weekly game tournaments. This can be a great way to get to know your child by doing something they really enjoy.
Hobbies, music, video games–take the time to find something you both enjoy doing and make it a regular date. Trust me, you’ll look forward to those dates as much as your kids will!
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