Give Your Kid Intentional Time & Undivided Attention – Kids of all ages want our time. Their words and body language may sometimes say otherwise, but they crave healthy relationships with their parents, and that takes time. In a culture where you, as an adult, are always busy and forever distracted, you have to make quality time with your family (and particularly with your kids) a real priority, especially as they grow older.
Step Away From Your Device – Kids today are smart, observant, and they know when you are only giving them your partial attention. In order to give your kids the time and attention they deserve, you might need to take your time and attention away from your phone and focus completely on the little gift God has given you. When your kids feel like what you are doing on your phone is more important to you than spending quality time with them, they begin to question how much they are valued by you. Don’t miss the precious moments that you could be experiencing with your kids in order to check messages or scroll through things that truly don’t matter in the long run.
Offer Grace & Forgiveness – When your kids have messed up and made poor decisions, you must remember that you may be their only advocate. They will already feel isolated and ashamed about what they have done, and they need you more than ever. When they feel like the world is against them, they have to know that you are for them. Even when you are disappointed, you may need to hold back in expressing that disappointment to strengthen the relationship and help them process what they have done. Kids need to know that you will be there for them no matter what, that they are forgiven, and that your love is not conditional.
Display Humility & Say, “I’m sorry!” – Are you aware that, as a parent, you are sometimes in the wrong? Shocking, right? But all kidding aside, your kids need to know that you, as their parent, aren’t always right and that even you sometimes need to ask for their forgiveness. In a world that projects a need for perfection, your kids need to know that it’s OK to be wrong and make mistakes.
Take The Time To Just Talk – In a world where we feel like we always have to be efficient and get things done, we can sometimes struggle with seemingly wasting time. Small talk about nothing with your kids can drive you crazy, but you must learn to talk about anything so you can talk about everything. When you can get into the habit of having conversations with tour kids all the time, you set the stage for the big conversations that will come down the road.
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