P-A-R-E-N-T.
The word only contains two syllables and six letters. Just looking at the letters and piecing together the sounds, it doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Just another word.
However, the meaning of the word is grand in scope. Yes, this word is much more than a random grouping of letters from the alphabet. The word evokes strong feelings in people: conjuring up visions of their parents, their children, or how society views just what it is that a parent should be.
Parenthood is anything but simple.
Parents are caregivers, teachers, housekeepers and entertainers. At times a parent’s role can be complicated and stressful, but the good times always outweigh the tough moments. The relationships parents have with children can hold together a family or tear them apart.
The Importance Of A Strong Parent-Child Bond
The parent-child relationship starts the minute a child is born. Often mothers and fathers begin bonding with the child in utero and within minutes of birth, doctors and nurses are already trying to strengthen this all-important bond.
Everyday of a child’s life is influenced by their parents’ reactions to emotional and physical developments.
Parents who respond to a child’s cues build bonds and communication skills in their offspring. Children learn emotions and the appropriate skills to control them by interacting with their parents. Interactions like these are essential to building a child’s self identity and worth.
Children who fail to develop these bonds often have a difficult time adjusting to the world around them. A child can suffer from language deficiencies, cognitive set-backs, and not have appropriate social-emotional skills. Thankfully, when parents offer support and communication, children thrive.
8 Ways To Build A Meaningful Connection
Making a conscious decision to foster the connections in your family will benefit everyone involved. Research suggests parent-child relationships strongly impact a child’s success later in life. Of course, it’s also rewarding for the parents to watch their children evolve.
Here are 8 strategies to help enrich the unification in your family:
1. Play
Make the time to get creative with Legos, design a Minecraft world, or play tea party. Play is an invaluable tool in learning and it can also strengthen relationships.
2. Create special traditions
Establish a fun weekend ritual like pancakes for dinner or develop a bedtime song just for your child.
3. Pay attention to the cues your child sends
Mirror the faces and gestures your infant or toddler makes, verbally acknowledge you hear his cries, and listen to your older children.
4. Limit cell phones and device usage during family time
Put away all distractions and focus on the family in front of you. This sends the message that family is more important than work emails, text messages, and that game of Candy Crush.
5. Look for a common interest
Seek out opportunities that you and your child can do together. Camping, sports, painting, and horseback riding are just a few suggestions to get you started.
6. Work together
Chores are a necessity of life. Instead of forcing children to do lists of cleaning, make an effort to work beside them. If everyone pitches in around the house, it sends the message that we are all in this together.
7. Pencil in family activities
Schedules can get frantic–make sure you leave time that everyone can be together. It can simply be a dinner, pickup game of ball, or movie night.
8. Begin conversations
Listen to your children and encourage them to talk. Avoid lecturing and yelling; just listen and relate. If needed, this will enable your child to bring up difficult topics in a nonthreatening environment.
More Than A Definition
Relationships can be hard to define. Words convey the basic meaning, but seldom communicate all of the feelings and expressions you may intend for them to express. There is a lot of work that goes into creating this magical bond.
Letters and words have power, but far greater is the power of a well-developed connection between a parent and child.~
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