Building Better Family Relationships

At these times when both men and women work for a living, small children are often left at home with a babysitter or at a daycare center while older ones spend the whole day at school. Most of the time, parents have just enough time to spare to just tuck in their kids at night. They sometimes do not even have enough time to talk about their individual lives let alone spend a day of fun together. But building good relationships with one's children does not really have to be spent the whole day. Little conversations, little gestures of comfort, little things that you do everyday whether they be for an hour or for just a few minutes are enough especially when done with sincerity and commitment to strengthening and building the bonds that you have with your children. Here are some of the ways of building better relationships with your children. Set time for small talks Whether the talks are done inside the car on the way to school or to the day care center; or while being in the comforts of the dinner table; these are good beginnings for building better relationship with children. These are the times when they talk about their life in school or some incident in the play area. Parents can learn a lot from these small conversations. Often, it is in these conversations when parents find out incidents of bullying, difficulties in school and young crushes. Give a hug There is so much good in giving a child a hug. According to research, touch therapy is very effective in building family relationships especially in building bonds between parents and child. It is a good way in expressing your love and concern for kids. In addition to hugs, small kisses and pats on the back are also crucial in building relationships. Leave messages Another effective way of building good relationships with your children is maintaining constant communication in whatever form you can do this. Parents with mobile phones for instance can keep track of their older children through mobile phones. Messages left in a family bulletin board or posted on the refrigerator are also great ways of maintaining your presence in your child's life. Be with them Despite the busy schedules, make an effort to be there when you do have the time. A once-a-month family getaway can do wonders to building closer family ties. Another effective way in building family relationships is finding a common ground and making compromises not only on your schedules but also on your various interests. It is a good idea to take turns going to your favorite places when out on a family trip. Be there on special occasions School presentations and school games are big things for every child. Whatever role they are playing, whether they are the lone tree in the background or the star of the show; whether they are reserves in a basketball game or the power forward, it is important that parents be there to watch the games and the presentations and support their children in their projects. Your physical presence in these kinds of occasions is crucial in building relationships with your child as your attendance will express to your child that they matter to you and that you are willing to give them a portion of their time.