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7 Things Moms Should Do for Their Kids Every Day

My daughter is a hugger. Even though she’s in middle school, she’ll often put out her arms and ask for a hug. And when she asks, I drop everything and hug her, and hug her, and hug her. I should mention, she’s a long hugger. So I put all thoughts of what I was doing on hold until she lets me go. I know that physical affection is one thing that helps build a strong parent-child relationship, and she makes it easy for me to work some in every day.

For my less affectionate 12-year-old son, I show him affection by mussing his hair or giving him a quick good morning kiss while he’s still asleep and cocooned in his covers in bed. And if those opportunities don’t present themselves, I’ll challenge him to thumb wrestling. Whatever it takes to make contact, right? But physical affection is only one of the seven things moms should do every day to create a strong parent-child relationship. None of these 7 things takes a lot of time, and each is worth every bit of effort.

1. Show physical affection.

OK, you knew this one was coming. Physical affection doesn’t come naturally for everyone, but don’t let your discomfort keep you from making your child feel loved. Sit down and let your child crawl onto your lap. Make hug time fun. Scratch your teenage son’s back. Kiss your daughter on the cheek as you tuck her into bed. There will be a time when your kids won’t be physically present in your life every day, so get the affection in now while you can.

2. Be fully present.

We know what we need to do to make this happen, but it’s not easy. We need to put down our phones, close the laptops, and stop loading our dishwashers when our children want our attention. Engage in conversations to learn more about them. Our Q&U App has hundreds of questions to ask your kids. Ask one, and then put your phone down and listen to what your kiddo has to say.

3. Be kind.

There is no doubt we love our children, but love without kindness doesn’t feel very loving. One of our most popular posts at iMOM is 5 Ways to Be a Kind Mom because we all want to be that type of mother to our children.

There is no doubt we love our children, but love without kindness doesn't feel very loving. Click To Tweet

4. Laugh with them. jokes for kids

A strong parent-child relationship needs a good dose of levity. Laugh with your children at what they think is funny. Use iMOM’s printable jokes to help them build confidence as they crack you up. Point out things you think are funny. And if all else fails, tickle them!

5. Discipline calmly.

For many moms, this is the toughest of the seven. Disciplining our children is best done when we aren’t fired up or frazzled. While screaming at them might feel good and appear to be effective, it’s really not. Keeping our cool while we shape our children helps us to discipline with firmness instead of harshness.

6. Use loving words.

A mother’s words are powerful! Pausing for a moment before we speak to choose our words carefully can be the difference between harsh or flippant words and words that build our children up. Do your best to make sure that most of what you say to your children conveys your love and acceptance. Compliment them every day and be sure to avoid these 15 things you should never say to your children.

prayers for children

7. Pray with them.

When we pray with our children, we are showing them that we rely on God. This teaches them that they can rely on God, too, and that God’s love for us is the basis of our love for them.

Here are 10 Things Loving Fathers Do for their Kids Every Day too!

Tell us! What else do you think moms need to do for their children every day for a strong parent-child relationship?

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