In the busy cycle and invisible pressures of modern life, many parents realize that they are outside their children's spiritual world. To get closer, to become a real friend, sometimes there is no need for too complicated strategies, just sincerity and hard work goes a long distance with your child.
Listen to understand, not to refute
Parents need to learn to listen without being too hasty in judging, says Dr Maria Colson, a family psychologist at the London Center for Child Development Studies. When children feel safe in the dialogue, they will share more.
That is a lesson that seems old but never goes out of date. Children and adolescents all need to be recognized for their emotions. When parents react with judgment or comparison, children will close the door to communication, sometimes permanently.
Communicate gently, discipline but do not be authoritarian
To be friends with their children, parents do not need to "inferiorate" themselves to their child's classmates. A true friend is someone who knows how to create a comfortable space but still maintains the same values and principles.
Many international studies have shown that children who grow up in an open communication environment will develop better emotional self-regulation and problem-solving skills. With this type of communication, parents can both share their own experiences and show their children that trust is always associated with responsibility.
From a traditional perspective, family values, respect, ceremony, and affection are still the roots that create strong connections. But to convey those values, parents need to choose a way of speaking that touches their children's emotions: slower than a beat, listen a little deeper and don't be afraid to express weakness.
Becoming your child's friend is not a one-day effort, but a long, challenging journey. But when parents sow sincerity, patience and a little understanding in them, the generation gap will no longer be a wall, but will become a bridge for both of them to step together.
