A kid’s most important relationship is with his/her parents. Children learn multiple things under the guidance of parents and feel safe and sheltered. As they approach teenagers, behaviour, and attitudes change. They feel insecure despite having parents to support them in their initiatives. And the difference in opinions creates a rift between parents and kids.
But the question is – Can this situation be changed?
Yes, you can change the situation.
You can put effort into understanding your child and develop a parent-child relationship by living in the moment with your child, spending time together, and creating a comfortable atmosphere for them to share their heart with you.
Well, there isn’t any secret book to get things sorted quickly and make the relationship right. The techniques listed below can surely help you improve your relationship with your child in their teenage years.
Parent-Child Relationship Improvement
- You are not just a parent, but a friend as well.
Teenagers want their parents’ love, understanding, appreciation, and security. They look to you as a friend.
However, they look for space in a relationship. Navigate your closeness with your kid in a way to not disturb their independence and space. Doing so will help your kid understand you and open up to you for any concerns he/she might be facing.
Just ensure a limit to independence to prevent your child from committing something wrong.
- Find Interests that suits you both
Find something that you both are passionate about engaging in. It can be anything from watching Marvel movies together to grabbing your favourite meal. Engaging in such activities increases closeness with your child and thus improves the parent-child relationship. Engaging in such activities is a way to know your child better and nurture his/her future accordingly.
- Talk less and listen more to your kids
Just like all of us like to be listened to and understood, kids are no different. They do expect the same from the guardians. Work towards becoming your child’s best friend and a “go-to” person for all its problems. Grant your kid the chance to express his ideas or issues he/she is facing. Listen more, speak less. It will help you understand their problems from a wider lens and solve issues accordingly. Once you have a grip on their issues and assure your child the security he/she needs, they will feel secure and relieved.
Check whether you need to take loans for unemployed no fees to fulfil your children’s wish and analyse how important that thing is for your child. Giving in to your child’s temptation is good but to a limit.
- Grant them space and respect it
In the beginning, it is challenging for parents to grant their children the space they need, but to be an excellent judge of their future, it is necessary for you to do so.
The freedom they cherish will help them develop a perspective on life. They will make mistakes and learn from them. Mistakes are the best teachers. Encourage and support their independence and grant space. It will help you nurture your relationship with your kid.
- Make it a priority to have dinner together
Meals are a great way to discuss everything from the current children’s goals to what they did at school. It is an opportunity to rewind, reinforce, and pamper the bond.
It is also great to discuss your childhood with your children at the dining table. It will spur interest and thus, improve the friendship bond.
It is equally an entertaining time for children to just hang with parents and talk with parents. Thus, promote more on-table gatherings to nurture the parent-child bond.
- Work accordingly to your teen’s personality
Think of your child as a unique personality. Analyse how your child behaves, thinks, communicates, and reveals emotions. According to psychological research, boys express their emotions of stress and anger quickly than girls. Girls remain more reserved and internalise emotions. Parents need to be mindful of the fact of how each gender perceives the outside world and reacts to it.
- Decide when to react
Decide which battle is worth fighting for and which to ignore? Identify which behaviour of your teen is more annoying, decide if your child is going against values. If yes, then this is a safety concern.
A teen is more concerned with developing relationships with family walls. If they try to tell you something beyond your control, you can try to put your best feelings aside. Encourage healthy discussion rather than rebuking them of the same.
- Make them responsible
Don’t deal with your teenage children in everything. Be available to them when they need you the most. Grant your child the responsibility to manage things. For example, give them a part of your income and ask them to manage savings and expenditures for a month.
Grant them the space to expand their thinking horizons. It is not just the brain that grows with the progressing years, but the personality as well. Grant them the freedom to expand and adapt to their natural personality.
- Set Clear expectations
Make your kid aware of the values and the consequences of transcending the same. It will help keep the children off the things and help them adhere to a more disciplined lifestyle. Though it guarantees nothing, it is a fruitful effort in encouraging healthy child growth.
- Stay calm during a hard time
Always take a few seconds to remind yourself to stay calm. It can frustrate when your teenager behaves rudely, but threats will only make it worse. Take a step back and improvise what your child is trying to say and make you understand. At the initial growth stages, the child faces difficulty in expressing his views clearly. If you find it hard to control your emotions, continue the conversation after a while.
Understand that a teenager would like to spend maximum time with his friends and be involved with the external world. Attempt to have some quality time together and remain abreast of the things going on in their lives.
Grant freedom to your child to develop his / her personality and understand the dualities.
