A strong bond with your family is a great thing to have. It can often be hard to build, but it can be very easy to break. Many people unfortunately make mistakes they are not aware of that can hinder the bond. Bonds take a lot of time, energy, and trust to build, so you must be consistently working on this, either with your spouse or your children. This is a partnered post.
There are a lot of things that you can do to work on creating a stronger bond. You can spend quality time together, learn a skill together, and have fun together. These are crucial to being a happy family and maintaining that strong bond. As a parent, developing this as early on as possible is great and you can work on this as your children get older. This may become challenging though, as your children become different people. This is totally normal, and you must consider their changing needs and wants, and work with it. The same with your spouse, as you go through life together, you both may change and grow.
Make sure you are doing what you can to grow the bond you have with your family. There are also many things that you should avoid, that can hinder the growth of your bond. To help you on your journey, here are some top mistakes people make when trying to create a strong bond with their family.
Not creating safety
Safety is a really important part of creating a strong bond with your family, and without it, your bond will be limited. Not actively creating safety within your relationships, or creating an unsafe environment, is a big mistake to make. Safety will help your family members open up and communicate with you. They will feel comfortable being honest, asking for what they need, and setting boundaries. When there is safety, they will be able to be their true selves with you. This goes both ways, you must show that you feel safe and open up too.
Not having boundaries
Boundaries are a key part of a strong bond, without them, you are making a mistake. You might think you are doing well by being there for your children and partner and doing whatever you can for them. This is a nice gesture, but in the long run, leads to a lack of respect from your family members, and can lead you to feeling burnt out and impacting your self-worth. Set clear boundaries with your family. You should also encourage your family members to consider their own needs and set boundaries too. Be a good role model.
Not doing fun things together
You are making a mistake if you are not doing fun things with your family. Fun, joy, laughter, and other positive feelings and experiences are a crucial part of a strong bond. While being a family can have its struggles, and some days you might have to put your foot down, it is really important that you make time for fun. Find out what your family finds fun and what you find fun, and make sure you schedule time for this every single week. You will find that your bond gets so much stronger when you do this, and every other part of your relationship with your family gets better.
Not appreciating your family
Appreciation is really important in any family dynamic and relationship. If you don’t appreciate your family, then you are making a mistake and impacting your bond. Take some time every so often to reflect on the good times with your family and how much you value them. It will make your bond stronger when you acknowledge this, and also express this with your family.
Leaving things on a bad note
In some cases, you might be parting ways with family members. The most common is parents going through a divorce, and ending up making the mistake of leaving things on a bad note. This can be hard on everyone in the family and make life much harder. It is always a good idea to work through the divorce properly. Get a professional divorce lawyer to assist the process, be civil and amicable with each other, and find a way to split custody appropriately. Many couples now are also finding positive ways to co-parent so they can continue to have a big involvement in their children’s lives as they grow up and try to keep a strong bond together.
Creating and maintaining strong bonds with your family is really important. Avoid these mistakes to help you on your journey.