Even if you can’t find time to have dinner together every night, schedule family meals whenever you can, as much as you can. If your weeknights are packed with late hours at the office or extracurricular activities, you can still find solutions, such as having breakfast or snacks together. The key is to make family meals fun, talk about the day, and stay connected with your kids. Then be sure to talk about your day, and share details like what you were most proud of achieving that day or what problem you may have and how you plan to solve it. By sharing something about yourself, you are showing your child that you value them as a person and feel close enough to confide in them. You also strengthen your bond and show them that they are important to you. The activity doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you’re doing something fun together. You can make fun crafts, cook favorite meals, bake some treats together, or even watch and then “review” a great kids’ movie. Do something that you both enjoy and connect while you’re doing it, just as you would with your spouse or a good friend. Yelling or using corporal punishment have been shown to not only be less effective, but they can harm the quality of your relationship with your child. Treating each other with respect and courtesy will not only bring you closer together but will make your home a more pleasant place to live. Tell them how great a job they’re doing, and how much you appreciate their help. Not only will it bring you closer together, but it’ll help your kids grow into confident and kind people who love helping others. Show your child every day how much he means to you and you’ll be doing something to strengthen the bond between you and your child and make it lasting and unshakable.
