Connection starts with building rapport with your child

It’s important to acknowledge that you will always know your child best, however you can work on building a positive relationship with your child by focusing on 3 important steps:

1. being in the moment with your child
2. spending quality time with your child
3. creating a caring environment of trust and respect

Showing your child that you genuinely care about the things that matter to them is the basis for a strong relationship and helps you gain an understanding and insight into their digital lives.

Part of being in the moment with your child is giving the child opportunities to take the lead. Let them tell you about the latest game or app they are using, show you and even teach you how to play?

Positive relationships between you and your child are also built on quality time.Time together is how you get to know about each other’s experiences, thoughts, feelings and changing interests online. This shows that you value and appreciate your child’s online world, which is also great for your relationship.

Trust and respect are essential to a positive parent-child relationship.Trust and respect become more of a two-way street as your child gets older, and it’s important to ask your child what trust looks like from their point of view. For many young people, trust means they have confidence that you will maintain perspective and limit your judgement, or an expectation that you may know how to guide them with a few strategies to help them fix a problem if they open up to you for help. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with them or support what has happened, but it’s important they feel good about the end result of seeking help, and that you made a situation better in their eyes, rather than worse.

When we establish rapport, trust and connection strengthens in our relationships. The journey to building rapport can at times feel challenging and fruitless, however sometimes it helps to consider this metaphor for parenting kids in the digital world; “water doesn’t cut through rock because of its power, it cuts through because of its perseverance.”
Showing consistency despite challenges and opposition, sends the message that you’re standing with them and will show up for them in positive ways when difficult issues or situations they face online occur. It sometimes just takes a little time.