Parents and children may not often see eye to eye. They may even display disagreements from time to time. But this does not mean they can no longer establish a healthy relationship. Fortunately, honesty is a trait that they can practice in order to deepen their bond and create a more meaningful connection between them.
Whether or not your kids attend an international school in the Philippines, an honest relationship will benefit both of you. They are more likely to feel comfortable sharing things with you like how their day went, the problems they are encountering, and the important developments they are going through. As their guardian, this will better enable you to be there for them every step of the way.
Building this kind of bond is going to be challenging. But with the given tips below, you and your children should be able to achieve it.
Become a friend to your children
It is helpful to invest in a friendship between you and your kids because it may play a significant role in them to trust you as their confidant. For example, if they hit a snag on school work, they will feel at ease sharing it with you, giving you the chance to help them out.
Identifying yourself as a friend opens up many opportunities to comfort and care for them, which encourages them to be honest with you at all times.
Practice empathy
Dr. Haim Ginott, a renowned child psychologist, promotes empathy between a parent-children bond. In one of his studies, he states that compassion and encouragement are some of the best ways to establish a positive relationship in the family.
Empathy can be achieved by being an active listener and by having an encouraging dialogue between both sides of the relationship. This way, your kids will learn how to be invested in maintaining healthy relationships – not only with you, but with others as well.
Praise honesty
Praising your children for being honest is very important. Let them know how much you appreciate their willingness to share by using phrases such as “Thank you for telling me about your day” or “I’m really proud that you owned up to your mistakes.”
You can use the latter example when your kids admit a wrongdoing. Of course, this doesn’t mean they won’t face any consequences for the faults they commit.
Acknowledge your own wrongdoings
As parents, being honest about your mistakes is important. This is a great way to encourage your kids to follow your example, establishing trust in your relationship.
Taking the time to apologize creates a mutual respect between you and your children.
Key Takeaway
Parents and children are not always on the same wavelength. There will be times when they won’t agree on things. But an honest relationship could certainly deepen the bond and create meaningful connections between them.
Students, whether they go to an international school in the Philippines or not, will surely benefit from the lessons they learn from this.
