Home And Family

As the generations rolled by, gone are the days of a stringent parent-children relationship. Well my mum always recalled how much she feared her dad and the methods her father would use to discipline the kids. It’s a fact, times have changed. Methods used in the past are virtually non-effective in this era. As people will lament on the gap and communication barrier between parents and child, below are perhaps some of the ways to take the bonding to another level.

1.Play Boardgames or Computer games together. All kids love games, you name it, they love it! Doing an activity together with them will enhance the relationship level, especially if it involves something which the child enjoy doing.

2.Casual conversation. It definitely pays to constantly communicate to the child often. One of my friends shared with me that she knew more about her child by asking her what is her dream profession and the attributes she would like to possess. She will never have known these information had she not taken the initiative to ask her daughter.

3.Bring the child to new places. Children are curious by nature, and it helps in their mental development to expose them to places which they have not been to. When I was young, my parents brought me to various parks, different hawker centres and shopping malls. In fact many of my current favourite places are those which I’ve gone to often in my childhood days.

4.Rewarding. In a competitive society like Singapore, it’s no surprise that we are results driven and orientated especially when it comes to academics. Kids often feel the pressure to do well, and when the standards are met, the child will want some form of recognition. It can be in the form of a compliment, an ice-cream treat or a choose-what-you-want at the toystore. One thing is for sure, kids want the appreciation and recognition. I would touch on the extent of rewarding in another separate post.

In summary, the four steps are just one of a wide array of methods to forge a more close-knitted parent-child relationship. Remember, it’s never too late. Have you done your part for your child? (:

Justine Lee contributes to articles as part of the committee of a parenting website founded in Singapore. She writes for http://www.mylittlesunshine.sg on a regular basis and likes to share her parenting experiences with other online readers. She is happily married to her husband Jason and have a boy who is eight years old.