5 Ways To Make Your Kids Your Best Friend

As a SAHM, it’s very easy to become so busy with house chores that you barely talk to or with your kids. This ought not to be so because you are to make your kids your best friend.

In this article, we are going to reverse that process and help you to develop a quality relationship with your kids.

Errrm… just to be clear…

While I may be of the opinion that you have to make your kids your best friend, there are people who are against this.

They believe that befriending your child is detrimental to their development.

The truth is that everyone is entitled to their opinions and I respect that.

In my opinion, I feel being pally with your kids is a part of good parenting.

So, if you have an interest in improving your friendship with your kids, then this guide will help you.

Benefits of being friends with your kids.

The benefits of being friends with your kids are numerous.

Here are a few of them;

1. It helps them to build healthy relationships with others:

If your kids grow with a secure and healthy attachment with you, they stand a better chance of developing happy and content relationships with others in their life.

2. Kids who are friends with their parents have better emotional control:

A child who has a secure relationship with a parent learns to regulate emotions under stress and in difficult situations.

This is very important especially for kids that would go on to work in a corporate environment with so much pressure.

3. It promotes the child’s mental development:

When you are friends with your kids, it helps them to become strong in linguistic, emotional, and mental reasoning.

4. Helps the child exhibit optimistic and confident social behaviours:

Your child can become reclusive if you don’t develop a healthy relationship with them.

So, on the flip side, your child is more confident and optimistic when you are friends.

5. Helps to improve the child’s social and academic skills:

Being friends with your kids is very important because your involvement and intervention in your child’s day-to-day life lay the foundation for better social and academic skills.

6. The kids develop problem-solving skills:

A secure attachment leads to healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and motivational development.

Children also gain strong problem-solving skills when they have a positive relationship with their parents.

How to be friends with your kids.

Being friends with your kids does not have to be a herculean task.

After all, it’s not so difficult for you to be friends with those you call friends.

The same should apply to your kids.

Here are a few tips that will help you to hone that relationship;

1. Spend time with your kids as often as you can:

What is friendship without time together? 🤷‍♀️

Even people in long-distance relationships tend to spend time together over phone calls and video chats.

You too have to build one-on-one time into your daily routine.

In fact, this activity can even help you to overcome boredom as a Stay At Home Mom.

Make a conscious effort to give your child your full attention during this time.

Ensure you are listening as you allow them to open up to you.

A good time to turn to conversation time could be;

When driving to and from school/activities
Over a meal (lunch or dinner)
10-minute chat after school
Just before bedtime
You can also schedule a time for fun activities with your kids.

2. Let them make decisions on their own:

To win your kids as friends, it is very necessary to make them feel important.

A good way to achieve that is by involving them in certain decision-making processes in the house.

For instance, it could be about which new TV to upgrade to or which place to visit during the next holidays.

Always ask them for their opinion and why they choose to stand by their decision.

Make them feel that it’s important for you to know what they think and then go with their suggestions whenever you can.

3. Involve yourself in your child’s interests.

This one is very easy.

As a mom, it’s no doubt that you know what your kids love to do.

So, rather than let them do their thing, show some interest and sometimes participate.

If your daughter loves to paint, buy her some watercolours, and maybe sit and paint or draw together.

If your son likes to build stuff, then buy him Lego bricks and other tools he needs for his crafts.

These activities are perfect examples of how to keep your kids engaged during the holidays.

4. Be a good role model:

Kids learn by observing, so you must endeavour to be a good role model for them.

Lead by example by showing them how to behave through your own actions.

If they notice that you are not doing what you preach, it sends out the wrong message.

They may think that it’s okay to not follow your lessons which is obviously a breach of trust.

So, before you lecture them on something, do a mental check on yourself.

Will you give yourself a 10-on-10 for something?

If the answer is yes, then go ahead and ask them to follow it too otherwise they will term you an unserious person.

5. Don’t be over-protective:

Please, take this point very seriously.

I know you love your kids so much.

I love mine too.

But being overly protective is not a good way to develop a friendship with them.

As kids, they question reality a lot.

They are hyper inquisitive and may want to try out new things.

When they do, please do not make it a hobby to control each and every aspect of their lives.

Let them fail and make mistakes and then learn from them.

It’s okay for you to advise them, but enforcing something is not a cool thing to do in any relationship.

Make sure you have done your part to ensure that they trust your advice.

Give them a break and enjoy your friendship.

Endnote

I strongly believe that if you follow these tips in this article, you will be able to improve your friendship with your kids.

Please, share this message with every mom that you know.

Also, don’t forget that motherhood is a journey made easy when we have the right people in our corner. 🧡

So, click on this link below to enter an amazing world of motherhood http://bit.ly/AMumandMoreFBFamily

Keep being #fabulous 💋

Love & Light

Viv 🧡

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