Ever since the pandemic has put everyone on lockdown, kids are going to be home more often. Parents are also starting to spend more time at home. Because of this, parents and children are seeing more of a chance to build relationships with each other including more opportunities for bonding with your child.
But what if you don’t know where to start? Do you even share anything in common with your child? You do not have to worry, there is still time to salvage the relationship that you may think you have lost to this modern age. Take some time to look into these opportunities to do some bonding with your child.
Learn About Their Interests
One good way to build on family relationships is learning about the things that your children are interested in. Finding common ground is a good way to get closer to and learn new things about your child. You might even discover a new hobby by just causally asking what they like doing. For example, your kid could be into Minecraft. Ask them basic questions about the game, or maybe ask them to show you how to play.
You both might find out some interesting facts about the game, since the Minecraft population is reaching record heights of 600 million active players, according to a new report. If your child isn’t as interested in gaming, you both could try something simple like reading a book together. Just take the time to get to know what they are into and you’ll be bonding with your child.
Express the Importance of Valuing Family
Many people take their family for granted. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Do you have a will? Do you have anything to leave behind for your children when you pass on? Almost 78% of Millennials and 64% of Generation Xers don’t have a will. You don’t want to end up leaving your children with nothing if something were to happen to you.
Though it may be difficult, it will be important to have had these types of conversations with your children, should anything happen. It might seem morbid, but this is a key aspect of bonding with your child. Just a simple, short conversation each day can help, and you can work on your relationship from there.
Have The Hard Conversations About Their Safety
Speaking of conversations, you need to talk to your children about staying safe. There’s more to it than just not talking to strangers and looking both ways before crossing. Nowadays, you need to also talk about dangerous things like texting and driving. The three most common causes of car accidents in the U.S. are distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding.
Your children may not be able to go far during the pandemic, but that doesn’t stop you from trying to keep them safe every single day. No one likes to be lectured, so it’s best to just simply talk to them, and if it helps, ask questions to see how much they know.
Your family relationships can still thrive and be strong no matter where you are at. You don’t even need to go all out to keep your relationships together, just simply talking to your children can be the start. Now is as good a time as ever to try and salvage your relationships with your children, which will benefit you both in the long run.