In these times when both men and women work for a living, young children are often left at home with a babysitter or nursery while older children spend the entire day at school. Most of the time, parents have enough time to tuck their children in at night. Sometimes they don’t even have enough time to talk about their individual lives, much less to spend a fun day together.
But building good relationships with your kids doesn’t have to happen all day. Small conversations, small gestures of comfort, small things that you do every day for an hour or a few minutes are enough especially when they are done with sincerity and commitment to strengthen and build the bonds you have with your children. These are some of the ways to build better relationships with your children.

Set time for small talks

If the talks are made inside the car on the way to school or nursery; or while in the comfort of the dinner table; These are good starts for building a better relationship with children. These are the moments when they talk about their life at school or an incident on the playground. Parents can learn a lot from these little conversations. Often times, it is in these conversations that parents learn of incidents of bullying, difficulties in school, and youth crushes.

Give a hug

Giving a child a hug is very good. According to research, contact therapy is very effective in establishing family relationships, especially in creating bonds between parents and children. It is a good way to express your love and concern for children. In addition to hugs, little kisses and pats on the back are also crucial for building relationships.

Leave messages

Another effective way to build good relationships with your children is to maintain constant communication in whatever way you can. Parents with mobile phones, for example, can keep track of their older children through mobile phones. Messages left on a family bulletin board or posted on the refrigerator are also great ways to maintain your presence in your child’s life.

Be with them

Despite your busy schedule, make an effort to be there when you have time. A family outing once a month can do wonders for building closer family ties. Another effective way to build family relationships is to find common ground and compromise not only on your schedules, but on your various interests as well. It’s a good idea to take turns going to your favorite places on a family trip.

Be there on special occasions

School performances and school games are important things for all children. Whatever role they are playing, be it the lonely tree in the background or the star of the show; whether they are reserves at a basketball game or power forward, it is important that parents are present to watch the games and presentations and to support their children in their projects. Your physical presence on these types of occasions is crucial to building relationships with your child, as your attendance will express to your child that you are important to you and that you are willing to dedicate some of your time to them.