The parents of school-age children are pretty much relaxed
because they get the freedom to work and relax. The children get busy with
their peers at school and become more independent in their approach. But this
should also be the matter of concern for the parents. Although, you may have
worked pretty hard to raise your kid up to this level, leaving your kid at the
mercy of his own decisions and influence by his peers can turn out to be a
destructive approach. The main reason is that when you become so relaxed and
stop caring much about your school-age kid, the connection between you and your
kid starts to weaken. And, you also keep in mind that your kid still needs your
guidance to stay on the right path. So, remaining connected with your kid
should still be your utmost priority.
Ensure that you are
connected with your kid
The school-age kids are usually peer oriented and excited
about their new friendships. Thus, it may be possible for you to wait to see
your kid over an entire weekend. This is where you can start losing connection
with your kid. So, the best thing is to free yourself from every other thing
and start giving your valued time to the kids instead. Even if you keep your
kids together and do nothing else, your presence is enough to let them get reconnected.
It would be even better if you occasionally take them out on the trip to nearby
park or at the beach.
Develop some family
rituals to stay connected
You need to think about it and develop it as a family habit
to arrange family meetings on the weekends. You can encourage your kids to
provide opinions about any matter. But, these meeting don’t have to be the
serious ones. You can use these times to connect with your kids with the help
of games, puzzles and some humor. Ask your kids to come to the kitchen and try
something new. Help them preparing costumes for the Halloween. Turn the
connection opportunities into routines.
Be available when you
child needs you
Although your child has become more independent, there are
going to be the times when he will need you for some support or piece of
advice. Now, if you have been trying hard throughout your life to have better
connection with your kids, your kids wouldn’t be shy while asking anything from
you. So, make sure that you haven’t lost the connection in any case, and always
welcome your child’s need for the advice from your side. Remaining friendlier
to your kids is the only way your child will think about you as the best
companion.
Help you kids in
developing negotiation and problem solving skills
Being available to negotiate with your kids might be
more than exhausting, but this is how you can help your kids to develop problem
solving and negotiation skills. Some parents find it easier to refuse any
negotiation with their kids, but the children in this case become the persons
who always need someone to dictate. You will surely not want your kids to be slave-minded.
