Parenting Tool: Relationship
Hey there, Momma!
It sounds like RELATIONSHIP might be the best heart-based parenting tool to use with your son right now.
You want to connect with your son’s heart, but you’re not sure how. Building a relationship with your son will help to soften his heart and allow you to connect with him on a deeper level.
Below you will find some practical tips to help you build a closer relationship with your son.
This is just one of the 7 heart-based parenting tools. Check your inbox over the next few days and weeks for more practical tools you can use to connect with your son’s heart.
Your first email should be in your inbox now! (Be sure to check your updates folder). This email will tell you what it means to parent from a heart-based approach.
Heart-Based Parenting Tool: Relationship
Here is a list of some practical ideas to help you build a deeper relationship with your son:
- Make an emotional connection with your son, then celebrate!
- Find something to do together that brings delight to your son.
- Let your son know how much you enjoy spending time with him. “We make a good team!” “I enjoy doing this with you.” “I’m looking forward to doing this again soon!”
- Listen without being critical.
- Talk about life without always teaching a lesson.
- Ask him what he enjoys doing.
- Join him in an activity he enjoys, even if it’s something you don’t enjoy.
- Affirm his uniqueness and let him know what you appreciate about him.
- Point out his strengths.
- Just be present with him.
- Look him in the eyes. Get down on his level if he is little.
- Be strategic about spending time together. Take your son out on a date.
- Greet your son with sincere enthusiasm — in the morning; when he comes home from school— let him know you’re happy to see them. (Even if you aren’t).
- Make his favorite snack for him.
- Show empathy by validating how your child is feeling before you jump in and try to correct their behavior.
- Offer comfort and compassion – we want to relate to our children the same way God relates to us.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says that God is a Father of compassion and a God of comfort. He comforts us in our troubles, so that we can be a comfort to others!
We want to meet our kids’ emotional needs, empathize with how they’re feeling, but don’t neglect to show firmness at the same time. (More about firmness in an upcoming email!)
Some of these tips may sound simplistic, but you will be surprised at the difference you’ll see in how your son relates to you, after putting them into practice for a short time.
Go check your inbox right now for your first email from me. Be sure to check your “updates” folder. Then, right-click on the email from Laurie Christine, select “Move to Inbox,” then select “Do this for future emails from this sender.” That way you won’t miss out on any of the parenting tools I’ll be sending your way!
Laurie Christine is a Certified Biblical Parenting Coach, trained by the National Center for Biblical Parenting (NCBP). All information covered in this series of emails is courtesy of the NCBP. For more information, check out the resources on their website, www.biblicalparenting.org
MEET LAURIE CHRISTINE
Laurie Christine is a certified Biblical Parenting Coach, author, podcast host, wife, and mom of four wild, loud, adventurous boys.
Her podcast, Redeeming the Chaos, invites moms of boys to join her in the wild, wonderful adventure of raising courageous boys and connecting them with Christ.
In addition to hosting a podcast, Laurie writes devotional Bible stories for families. As a mom of four young boys, she understands how important it is for parents to connect with their children, while communicating the truth of God’s Word to them in a way they can understand.
MORE RESOURCES
Check out these resources from the National Center for Biblical Parenting
Parenting is Heart Work
(Affiliate Link)
In this book you will learn:
* How to connect to your child’s heart to bring about change.
* Ways to correct that are more powerful and last longer.
* To help your child reign in emotions.
* How to use common, everyday activity to build life-skills.
* Biblical, practical tools that work.
PHW Training Manual
(Affiliate Link)
In this book, you will learn:
* How to develop strategic, biblical, practical routines of family life.
* How to give day-to-day instructions in a way that builds cooperation and responsibility.
* Practical ideas for connecting with your kids emotionally so that their hearts will be soft and teachable.
* How to integrate key success principles into your family.
Motivate Your Child
(Affiliate Link)
In this book you will learn:
* How to parent in ways that build internal motivation so that kids don’t have to rely on you to get things done.
* The four promptings of the conscience and how to coordinate your parenting to takeadvantage of them.
* Ways to energize your spiritual training with fun and creativity.
* How to help children respond to mistakes instead of blaming, defending, or justifying.
MYC Action Plan
(Affliate Link)
In this book, you will learn:
* A step-by-step guide to identify a specific problem and then define a character-based solution.
* How to craft a parenting plan tailored to your child’s unique gifts and needs.
When parents have defined plans, they move forward with more confidence, see changes more quickly, and experience hope as they grow in their relationship with their child.
COACHING
Are you interested in working with Laurie Christine in our eight week, one-on-one parent coaching program?
