Trusting your children leads you on the right path to a balanced relationship with them

A lot of parents want to trust their children however it is something that can go against the fundamentals of protecting our brood. To establish a long healthy relationship with our children it is important to establish trust. This can mean a fine line between overprotective parenting and carefree parenting.

A lot of parents want to trust their children however it is something that can go against the fundamentals of protecting our brood. To establish a long healthy relationship with our children it is important to establish trust.

This can mean a fine line between overprotective parenting and carefree parenting. The first step to gaining their trust is to set the example ourselves so that our children can trust their parents.

To aid trust within a family, we need to be reminded that a lot of your child’s personal behaviour is copied from their parents. To trust inexplicably everyone needs to be on the same page and willing to be honest and truthful at all times.  

To help you and your family we have put together a few ways you can learn to trust your child. 

  1. Remember that a little freedom is good for your child.

    In the future like any parent, you will want to protect your children at all times, however, it is nearly impossible to do and freedom will come at some stage for your child. A little freedom is healthy and certainly, it strengthens your relationship with your child, if they believe you to trust them to walk to their pal’s house without supervision. These experiences help your child prepare for adulthood and allow them to grow with your support and guidance. 

  2. Teach them to be open and honest.

    Teach your child that keeping secrets is not the best way to deal with situations and being open and honest, whilst it may be difficult is usually the best overall solution. Take note from this yourself and rather than shield your child from certain news or situations, tell them and talk freely, answering any questions they may have. However unpleasant some news may be lying to your kid, in the long run, will only lead to your kid feeling belittled. 

  3. Speak from your heart.

    Build trust by speaking from your heart and encouraging your nipper to do the same, remind them that no subject detail has to be omitted and that you are always happy to listen. Show your child that dishonesty is not the best path and that if someone in your family doesn’t tell the truth it is important to confess and apologise. 

  4. Allow them to earn your trust.

    Ensure your child knows that you want to trust them and give them a little freedom in their life but that trust is earned not given freely. It is good to start with little periods of freedom, perhaps going somewhere without parental supervision for example. If these small steps are a success you might consider slowly increasing the amount of freedom that they have. 

Parenting is a hard job and as our children get older and are flexing their “I do what I want” muscles it gets tougher. However with these little ways mentioned above hopefully you can build trust and therefore keep trusting in each other. 

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