Becoming a parent can be a whirlwind of emotions and events in the beginning. There may be very little time to fully understand what your job is before you are thrown into it. Being a father can be a very different feeling than being a mother and your job may not be as obvious. No matter what, being a father is a hard job but one of the main goals to keep in mind is to grow a strong relationship and bond with your children.
By creating this bond early, you can have a level of trust and respect that you each feel for each other before any large life events happen. The simple act of catching your child as they fall can build as much trust as someone has in a parachute when falling out of a plane. A child should know their father is there for them. This will take lots of time and effort but in the end, you and your child will benefit from it.
Create Time For Them
Whether they are an infant, toddler, or teenager, your child deserves to spend time with their father. By spending time with your children you are growing that relationship and showing them the type of bond you want to create with them. As an infant, spending lots of time with them can help build trust and closeness. Infants need to see and be with their parents to understand who they are and that they can go to them when crying or hungry.
This moves into the toddler age. They have already established who you are to them and now is your chance to really prove it to them. Play with them, interact, and help when necessary. This bond will move into adolescence and older too. The amount of time you spend with your children can make a world of difference in how much time they will want to spend with you in the future.
Don’t Forget Trust and Respect
Trust and respect are hard to teach an infant, but they can be shown through your actions. If they start to cry and you help them, they now understand they can trust you when they need assistance. The act of trust will change as they age, it is important to keep up. This could look like playing games when they want to or keeping up on promises you make with them.
Respect is also an important trait to teach them young. While you may think that you are the one in charge and should be in control, it is vital to allow your child to question you at times. If you wouldn’t want to be yelled at about making a small mess, it is likely your child wouldn’t like it either. Treating your children like how you wish to be treated can help them learn proper forms of communication and how to treat other people in the future.
Be Their Cheerleader
No matter the age, being there for your child’s interests can encourage them to learn and explore the world. If your child picks up the painting and that is all they do, hang up their artwork around the home, complement it, be their cheerleader. Even if they don’t paint later on in life, they know that you will be there for them in their other interests and endeavors.
This also gives you the chance to grow a closer bond. If you see them getting to hobbies that you also enjoy, you can try to participate with them. If you also love painting, make it a game or weekly activity to paint together. This can go for physical hobbies as well. If your child seems to enjoy baseball, track, or swimming, you could join them. By hopping into their physical activities, you could also be helping your physical health as well. You may see yourself get stronger, more focused, more flexible, or have higher testosterone levels.
Being a parent takes a lot of trial and error, late nights, and frustration. However, you will have an amazing relationship with your children and nothing can compare to that.
