Make friends with your child

(Baonghean) - One of the best things parents can give their children is true friendship. Through that, children will not only be loved and cared for, but also trusted and respected.

The most important characteristic of friendship is equality. But this is rarely the case between children and their parents. Usually, it is not until the child is quite old that parents begin to respect and give them some equality.

Illustration: Lam Manh

Parents can only give their children a good future when they care for and educate them in a loving and respectful way, not in a way that shows authority or overprotects them. The protection or authority of adults will eventually decrease as the child grows up, only the loving relationship like friendship will remain and be nurtured more firmly.

When children grow up, they no longer need the “pampering” or the power of their parents. That is why, in addition to teaching and supervising their children, parents must also learn how to be friends with their children. And to have that friendship, from the time their children are still young, parents must pay attention to building an equal and friendly relationship with them.

Any friendship is built on common interests, hobbies, and experiences. The more things you have in common, the stronger the friendship. From a young age, parents should actively create these “common denominators” by regularly playing with their children, taking them to the park, the circus, the theater, etc.

Even reading a book together or cooking dinner together is a great way to foster friendship with your child. By regularly “playing, working, eating together” with your child, parents will have many opportunities to confide in their child and understand them better. As children grow up, in addition to sharing their concerns, parents also have to “anticipate” their child’s new thoughts and pay attention to their changing needs.

A father complained that his 18-year-old son no longer respected him, even showed contempt for him. When he tried to talk to him as a friend, as man to man, the boy replied that the conversation was useless, that he should have talked to him when he was a child… The father was stunned, he realized that his son's words contained a bitter truth.

When they were young, it seemed like every child would try their best to “fight” and use all sorts of “tricks” to gain the love and attention of their parents. Meanwhile, most parents thought that it was just child abuse and they ignored it so as not to “spoil” the child. However, there was only a very short period when children liked to cling to and befriend their parents. When they grew up a little, when they were more independent, they began to avoid parents who were indifferent to them.

Just as they once ignored their child’s desire for love, their child will now treat them the same way. You can only teach your child to be a kind, friendly, caring, and sharing person when you set an example for them and build a true friendship with them from an early age.

Thien An