So, you’ve spent an enjoyable afternoon on a pleasant trip with your son or daughter who is going through a challenging period. (See www.raisingsmallsouls.com/tough-times for more information about creating a pleasant outing during a stressful time.)
What else can you do now to strengthen the parent/child bond and help him/her overcome the present problems?
Each child is a unique universe unto him/herself, and every situation must be considered on an individual basis. With that in mind, view the following suggestions as you would look at a spread of food in a cafeteria: take what appeals to you and leave the rest behind for consideration at another time.
Here’s some food for thought for you to bring up with your child:
“How about if you write a composition entitled ‘What Bothers Me’?”
“Do any of your friends share this kind of problem?”
“Suppose someone in your situation asked you for advice, how would you advise them?”
“How can I communicate with you better?”
“Could you figure out how this problem arose?”
“If you had a magic wand, what would you do now?”
Just remember that it might be difficult to develop this kind of confidence building at this stage. It should have been started long ago, by doing some of the above. If a parent had always been very strict with a child and suddenly wants that child to feel as an equal, it will be almost impossible.
Communications should be developed early on, by having the child participate in wise decision making, guiding him in the right direction and pointing out the possible problems if his questionable decision were to be followed. A feeling of friendship, but not being a pal, is very basic. This rule could and should be applied to any successful teacher-student relationship.
