How to Create a Strong Parental Bond and Connection with Your Kids

You can create a strong parental bond and connection with your kids by being present to their emotional needs, validating their thoughts and ideas, and joining their never-ending desire to have fun and explore the world.

What does it really mean to be present with your kids?

Being present is placing your undivided attention and awareness on your child – as much as you can. You might spend a lot of time with your kids, but during this time, are you being present with them? Or are you mostly facilitating their lives, getting them ready, driving them around, etc.? It’s also possible that you’re spending more of your day struggling with your kids than connecting with and enjoying them.

If you are distracted, anxious or worried about something, you’re not present. Your kids can feel it when you’re not really with them.

Kids need to feel valued, listened to, and honored for their unique selves. When you give this type of quality attention to your children, you validate them. With this sense of validation and trust that you are on their side, their need to push back, rebel, or act out can greatly diminish.

Entering your child’s world through fun and play is one of the best ways to create closeness and connection. Letting them lead the way during play is empowering and builds self-esteem. Laughter and giggling reduces anxiety and stress in both you and your kids.

In addition to playing with your child, you can enjoy each other by creating art or music, taking nature walks, or laughing and snuggling. Or simply join your child in whatever he most loves to do. The more uninhibited fun you can have with your kids, the more joyful your parenting experience will be!

But let’s be real. How easy is it to show up fully present with your kids when you’ve got responsibilities, schedules, tons to do, and a lot to worry about? How much room do you have in your life for fun and games? This is why taking care of your own needs is critical and your #1 priority.

It can seem like two very competing goals – taking care of you AND making time to be fully present with your kids. But when you take care of yourself first, you will have the energy and emotional resilience to be fully present with your kids. It becomes easy and natural!

Listening is one of the best ways to be present with your child. In your busy day, you can look for opportunities to listen to your child’s thoughts, ideas, challenges, and stresses. You can even schedule one-on-one time with each child to just sit and listen to what’s going on with them.

Active listening is a great way to connect.

When your child is ready to tell you something, here are some tips to help you actively listen:

• Come into the situation fresh and neutral, with an open, curious mind
• Get rid of distractions – turn off the TV, your phone and everything that beeps
• Listen to what is being said in words as well as what is being communicated nonverbally
• Look directly into your child’s eyes with compassion
• Listen without judgement
• Release the need to hear what you want to hear so you can hear what is actually being said
• Don’t interrupt
• Don’t think about the next thing you’re going to say
• Refrain from comparing them, yourself or this situation to others
• Seek to understand

As tempting as it might be, don’t try to fix the situation in that moment. Give empathy instead. You can summarize what you heard and ask if that’s what she meant. You might ask, “Can you tell me more about that?” She will feel heard and valued and might go deeper into sharing with you.

Empathy is putting yourself in another’s shoes – to really understand another’s perspective and understand what they’re feeling. Empathy leads to connection and trust. Empathy takes continual practice – it can be tricky – you can over empathize or under empathize.

The most difficult part is to listen without letting your beliefs and attitudes about your child take the center stage. We all have our filters and our perspectives of how things should be, especially when it comes to our kids.

In our parent coaching program, you will learn how to recognize your limiting beliefs and triggers before they cause damage to your relationship with your kids. You will learn how to talk with your kids in the context of your unique situation, so they will feel your connection and your respect for them.

In our parent coaching program, you will get the guidance you need.

As a certified parenting coach, I provide a purely judgement-free, completely confidential space for you to talk about what’s happening. I’ll support you in a new way of communicating and interacting and help you incorporate new tools – so your kids are more cooperative and you can feel more peace and ease.

If you want to talk about your frustrations, feeling overwhelmed, or a specific challenge you’re having…whatever is on your mind… take a half hour for yourself to talk with me. Trust me, it could change everything.

Learn more and schedule a free call.

Jane Sheppard CPC
Certified Parenting Coach
Functional Medicine Health Coach