The concept of trust is complicated. It takes years to build one in a relationship, but only moments to shatter. Trust is the foundation and the root of all our relationships. When trust exists, a relationship can grow and flourish. But without it, a bond can end up in ruins. Moreover, the presence or absence of trust can strongly affect an individual’s happiness in life. Learning to build trust in a relationship is difficult, even when it’s about building one with your child.
Parents play a significant role in how their children will perceive the concept of trust. It may be overwhelming, but if started early on, building and maintaining a trustful relationship can become easier. Also, building a strong parent-child relationship based on trust can make your little one feel more connected to you and they will be more open to listen, help, and follow your directions.
How To Build Trust With Your Child
Building a trusting relationship with your child will leave no space for trust issues in their life and also help them maintain a trustful relationship with their peers as well. Here are four ways to deepen bonds and foster the development of positive beliefs that help grow trust in children.
Listen To Your Child
By attentively listening to your child, you show them that their feelings and thoughts are important to you, and you acknowledge what they are saying. This can help them develop trust in you and also build their confidence. Besides listening, make sure you respond to them as well. Actively engage in a conversation with your child and give them time to express their thoughts and feelings.
Allowing them to express themselves at their own pace will help your children recognise that you value their thoughts and they will be more inclined towards sharing their feelings with you in the future as well.
Avoid Making Promises
Promises are usually hard to keep. Sometimes unexpected situations occur which may make it difficult for you to fulfill a certain promise made to your child. This could lead to feelings of betrayal against parents and a lack of trust. That’s why try to avoid making promises to your child, especially ones that are beyond your capabilities. This way, even if a plan fails, you can easily explain the reason and changes to them.
Also, if you do make a promise to your child, make sure to follow through with it. Don’t leave it hanging. Your child may find you less reliable if you keep changing your mind and avoid fulfilling the promises made. Therefore, be consistent, and be respectful of the promises you make to them.
Take Responsibility
Let’s face it. Parenthood is difficult. Almost every parent does make a mistake or two in their journey. But there’s nothing to be ashamed about. There’s no perfect parent on this planet, and everyone is bound to make mistakes, and that’s absolutely fine. But when you do so, make you own up to that.
Nothing builds trust more than taking responsibility for your mistakes. Your efforts for taking responsibility will make you more reliable in front of your child’s eyes and would also encourage them to do the same.
Tell Your Children You Love Them
One of the most important ways to build a trusting relationship with your child is to shower them with endless love. Tell your children you love them every day. Even if you are having disagreements with your child or are unhappy with their behaviour, make sure to demonstrate your unconditional love towards them.
A simple “I love you” can make all the difference. It will strengthen your relationship, build trust, and allow your child to confide in you whenever they feel the need to express their thoughts and feelings.
4 Fun Trust Building Activities You Can Try With Your Kids
Instilling beliefs is not the only way to build a trusting relationship with your child. You can make the entire process more enjoyable with some fun and interesting trust-building activities for children. Here are four games that you can try to develop and build the trust factor in kids.
Trust Fall: Popularly practiced by the Boy Scouts of America, in this game, a person has to fall on purpose, while the others are to catch them. Let your kid stand with one of the parents in the opposite direction. Give a signal to your child and cue them to fall backward. As your child falls, catch them gently and prevent them from hitting the ground. Increase the distance between you and your child with each level. As the distance increases, your child will start to trust you more, and with each successful level, they will know they have their parents to catch them every time they fall.
4 Up: It’s a fun game that teaches your kids about trust-building and communication without speaking. Play it with your entire family to make it more interesting. Sit with your kid in a circle. Tell them that they are now on a different planet, where they cannot speak and only communicate through actions. Also, make sure that at least four people from the group are standing at all times, with no participant standing for more than 10 seconds at a stretch. This activity will teach your kids to form strategies and trust their partners while communicating.
The Bat And Moth: For this fun activity, you and your kids have to play the role of a bat and a moth. First, make a circle. Come to the middle to wear a blindfold and be the ‘bat’. Next, make your kid wear the blindfold and make them the ‘moth’. The bat has to say the word ‘bat’, and as the moth hears it, they have to say ‘moth’. The bat has to then locate the moth, and the moth has to avoid the bat, by following their voice.
Blindfold Navigate: The activity will require your child to be blindfolded while you act as a guide. Set obstacles around an area. Your child has to navigate around the obstacles and reach you, by listening to your voice and hearing your instructions. You can also make your child the guide and play yourself blindfolded. This activity will ensure that both parent-child trust each other and can carry out the activity together.
While building a trusting relationship with your child, remember that trust comes where there are no judgments made, no secrets kept, and no lies told. Have patience and keep your calm, because every effort that you make will only do wonders for your relationship with your child.