Children who have a strong bond with their parents feel more secure. They listen to their parents better and internalize positive values more readily. Children with strong parental bonds are less likely to become drug users and tend to earn better grades. With all this in mind, parents want a strong bond with their children. Developing that bond can prove difficult at times; but, there are simple ways to begin building that bond. Here are 3 simple ways you can build a bond with your children at any age.

• Engage your children in at least one meaningful, eye-to-eye conversations each day. Eye-to-eye contact with babies helps them develop a stronger attachment with their parents. Eye-to-eye conversation with your teen lets them know you value what they have to say. Eye-to-eye contact is an intimate connection that communicates value and love for the other person involved in the conversation. When your children look you in the eye and see love, they believe themselves lovable. When they look you in the eye and see respect, they believe themselves respectable. When they see adoration in your eye, they believe themselves adorable. Give your children the gift of eye-to-eye contact and conversation each day.
• Practice “the three-cubed impact.” Spend three minutes, three times a day to express your love and interest in your children. Specifically, express your love for your children during the first three-minutes of their day. Show your interest in your children during their first three minutes home from school. Share an intimate moment with your children during the last three minutes of their day. That’s three minutes when waking, three minutes when transitioning home from school, and three minutes as they transition to sleep. Of course, you can spend more time with them throughout the day, but make these three times especially meaningful in your expression of love and interest.
• Give your children loving touch multiple times throughout the day. Loving touch comes in many forms. It can include a kiss good-bye as you leave the house or a hug hello when you reunite. Loving touch can also include a tender pat on the back, an arm around the shoulders, or simply fixing a collar. You can also give a high five, a fist bump, a gentle loving push, or a quick squeeze as moments of playful loving touch. Whether fun, congratulatory, or practical, loving touch brings us closer together.

Practice these simple actions every day to build a stronger bond with your children and watch them grow more secure and loving.