How to Strengthen Father and Son Relationship

Aren’t we all tired of every family movie being about a dad who works a lot and cannot find time for his son? While modern-day parents, do work a lot, there are plenty of ways to spend time with your children and make sure you are present in their lives. While father-daughter relationships are usually quite easy and based on the fact that the girls are daddy’s princesses, father-son relationships have a bit more stigma about them. There is usually a sense of competition and who makes who proud and who is hard on who, but it is all very useless. Boys are as easy to love and appreciate as girls and here is how you can do that.

Get to know your son

This is something you should start doing while your kid is still very young. It is quite easy at that point. However, it becomes more difficult as the son grows up and not all of his life happens in front of his parent’s eyes. You can do so by engaging in conversation on daily basis. Not an interrogative one, but exchanging opinions and sharing interests. You should mind the tone of your voice as merely promoting your interests and the way of doing things will be seen by your child as patronizing. This may lead to them choosing not to engage in further conversation. You can simply start by saying “I love this movie” or “Have you seen any good movies lately?. If they happen every day, these conversations will give you a natural insight into your son’s preferences and the way he sees the world. It will help you develop common interests. However, as not all of the interests are the same, you can take time to venture into each other’s world.

Do not force conversation

I had to elaborate these so close together to make sure you realize the difference. While the above-mentioned conversations are more of a chit-chat, these refer to the ones on more serious subjects. Do not make your son talk about things he is not comfortable with, you will end up being the only speaker in the room and they will simply sit through your speech. They now know you are open to talking about more sensitive subjects and they will come to you when they are ready, as long as you are around. You can use certain situations as the perfect time and place for starting these conversations, such as during a chore or any other activity you are in together. This will appear spontaneous, give the child a chance not to maintain eye contact if they are uncomfortable, and have an instant, more agreeable subject to switch to once you are done with the serious one.

Do something that you like

This is an opportunity to have your child out of his comfort zone and do something that you like. This will probably come out wrong, but children also need to learn that they cannot always do what they want and it will be a way of showing their respect. It is your job now to make the activity interesting for them. You can take him out on a golf range and hire a golf swing machine to help you both practice your swing without having the third person around to disrupt father-son time.

Do something that the son likes

Now, it is your turn to go out of your way to indulge your boy and take part in an activity you normally would not. If your son enjoys Dungeons and Dragons, do not dismiss him for it but join in when you get a chance. Also, perhaps you can do some of the things you like, his way, like playing golf on an Xbox.

Work on a project together

Aren’t we lucky to have DIY projects and ways of doing things? These are perfect for family activities and bonding. Start a project to build a playground or work on the chores together. This a great way of doing something meaningful and spending time with each other. Also, this is very responsible of you as you will serve as an example to your son and they will grow up with a habit of doing things around the house.

All of the points I made serve the same purpose of staying connected and providing some direction in life for your child. Make sure you use every step of the way to let him know that he is loved and that you are proud of him, it will not harm him and make him soft, it will grow his confidence.