Are you having a hard time connecting with your kids?
True as they say, strong relationships don’t just happen. You need wisdom and intentional efforts to make it flourish.
To help your parent-child relationship flourish, here are 5 habits to strengthen your bond, from CBN Asia Holy Week special Suklob:
1. Spend time together
Spending quality time with each other is essential to bonding and forming good character. Perhaps, it’s time to limit your phone use and use that extra time to spend with your child.
Nett Gochuico, played by actor Kristoffer Martin in TanikalaI presents Suklob, felt neglected when his father refused to spend time with him. Their bond started to grow only when they learned the importance of hanging around each other.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 also pointed out the importance of spending time with your child to hone godly character, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
2. Use kind words
In Suklob, Nett’s father physically and verbally abused him, scarring his childhood forever.
Before you talk to your child, bear in mind that kind words bring life, but cruel words crush one’s spirit. (Proverbs 15:4). Know that you can always give correction without destroying their hearts and discipline them without crushing their spirit.
3. Believe in your child’s potential
Nett’s endless yearning for fatherly love, approval, and support continued even till his adult life. He found the validation and affection he needed from other people because he never heard it from his own parents.
Would you want your child to look for affection elsewhere? Tell them that you appreciate them and that you support their endeavors. Don’t just show – tell. Let them hear and see that you believe in their full potential.
4. Welcome emotions
Believing that no one listens to him, Nett kept his emotions bottled up for many years. Those negative emotions and unmet hunger for love turned into anger and unforgiveness toward his parents.
Welcoming your child’s emotions helps them consider the needs and feelings of others, too. When their feelings are acknowledged and respected, they will be more open and confident to go through the many seasons of life.
Ask God to give you a listening ear and an understanding heart, and He will give it to you, as promised in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
5. Practice forgiveness
Not everyone has the strength to forgive instantly. Don’t worry, God understands you.
Yet He wants to tell you that there is healing in His name and that you’re already forgiven for all the wrongs you have done. Because you received forgiveness, you can now overflow with love and forgive others as well, such as your own family.
Meanwhile, children look up to their parents as their superheroes, their role models. Thus, showing them how to forgive could help them forgive more and strengthen your bond as you cultivate this habit in your household.
“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness.” (Titus 2:7)
Longing for a perfect family?
That doesn’t exist. God doesn’t intend families to be perfect, but to be Christ-like. Surrender your parenting to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to give you the wisdom, the heart, and the character of a good and loving parent.
Are you dealing with family problems right now? Allow us to pray for you. You may send your prayer requests to the CBN Prayer Center or call 8-737-0-700 and find encouragement today.
