My mother is my best friend who will stick with me until the very end. We laugh together, we talk together and we hang out together. While I was growing up she was always there supporting and motivating me to do better. My mother made many rules and drew many lines so I was never a spoilt child. I now recognize that she was my parent first and my friend after. I know that there are many persons out there who think that a parent cannot be a “best friend” to their child but that is far from the truth. Looking back at how my mother raised me I now understand why we are good friends.
Today, I want to share a few tips with you that can help you to become your child’s best friend while you remain his or her parent.
Be a parent first
The first step to being your child’s friend is to be a parent first. This means that you will have to set rules, draw many lines and say “no” sometimes. This also means that you should guide, nature, discipline and provide for them. Parents do those things. When you set all these boundaries, please ensure that your child understands them clearly. Your child might not like some of these rules but “such is life”. Rules are everywhere so please make rules and do not spoil your child.
Be a role model for your child
As a parent, you must realize that your child looks up to you and is likely to model your behaviour. It is important that you lead by example. Make sure that whatever you say or do is done with integrity. I know that we are all humans and that we will “fall short” sometimes (I am sure that my mother fell at some point but she got right up). I remember that she was strong, she was kind and she was honest and I wanted to follow her footsteps. Your child will want to do the same.
Talk to your child every day
When I was a little girl I was always anxious to get home to tell my mummy all about school. It all started from there but, now we talk about any topic. She talks to me about topics like pregnancy or peer pressure (when I was a teenager), so, I knew from then that I needed to follow the right path. When I was stressed I could talk to her, when I had anxiety attacks she was there to help. We have developed a bond that nobody is able to break. That is what I call friendship. So talk to your child about everything. But, while you try to create that bond please try not to “overdo it” as this can do more harm than good to your relationship with your child.
Show love to your child
It is very important to make certain that your child knows that you love him or her. Do not let your children wonder if you love them. Hug your children every day and tell them how much they mean to you. Be there for them too, show up at every game that you can. Help them with their assignments. Show them that you are a friend that will love them to the end. The more you love your children the more they learn to love others.
Being a parent and a friend to your child will sometimes be difficult but it can be done. It is very important to build a strong relationship with your child, this relationship is usually very difficult to break. I hope that you will use some of these tips to build a solid connection with your child and I wish you all the best on your journey as a parent.
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