As adults, we often tend to center most of our time bonding with our children. It’s nothing to feel guilty about, in fact, you should feel proud of yourself for being a great parent and putting your kids first. But, you should also remember that you are a child too. Even when you’re fully grown with a family of your own, you are still the son or daughter of your parents. And just as you’re not raising your own children and looking to do what you can to make their lives better, they once dedicated all their time to doing that for you. So, now’s the time to pay them back.
Spending time with your parents is something that we all try to do now and again. But, could it become more of a priority? If you find that you don’t get to spend as much time as you like with your aging parents, now’s the time to change that. Whether you want to involve them in your family life more, or enjoy time with them before they become too elderly, you should think about bonding with them a whole lot more. And to get you started, here are fourteen ways to do that.
Invite Them to Dinner
It’s always nice to be able to host big family dinners, so why not take the opportunity to invite your parents around more and cook for the occasion. Family dinners can be a lot of fun. You get to make up tasty food, enjoy some great company and it’s something that your parents are bound to appreciate. It doesn’t even have to be a special occasion. You could whip up something simple and still have an exciting time.
Talk More Regularly
But being able to bond with each other doesn’t have to be about occasions where everyone is invited. Sometimes, you just need to talk. If you want to nurture a healthy relationship with your parents, you should aim to talk more regularly. Call them up and listen to what they have to say – take an interest. It will definitely go a long way.
Be More Involved
You may also want to think about getting more involved with your parent’s lives. Sometimes, you find that parents want to be involved in your lives, but it’s nice to show that you care about theirs too. Whether you take them to appointment or go to classes with them, just generally being there for them will strengthen the relationship that you have.
Learn Something New Together
Sometimes, your bond can strengthen when you have something in common. If you find that you’re very different to your parents, and have different interests, you may want to think about learning something new together. Whether you want to take golf lessons or even try out dancing lessons, be sure to find the best golf balls for seniors to make it easier on them, or the right kind of dance lessons for them to take part in. Then, by learning something together, you have something special between you to bond over.
Share A Passion
Of if you do have a common interest, why not think about sharing your passion for helping build your relationship? If you both like to read or even fish, you could read them same books then discuss them, or head out to a nearby lake to fish together. Sometimes, having a shared interest is all it takes to help you bond.
Confide in Them
Sometimes, what your relationship needs isn’t anything to do with physical activities, but more of an emotional connection. Trust can help with that. If you can confide in your parents, and talk to them about serious matters, you will show that you trust them. This can often go a long way as it will show them that you want to bond with them and build a stronger connection.
Allow Them One on One Time
And sometimes what will build a great bond between your parents and yourself isn’t about your relationship, but about the relationship that they have with your children. Allowing your parents to connect with your kids is always great for your relationship too. There are so many activities for kids and their grandparents to do, it will be fun for everybody involved and it will let your parents know that once again you trust them.
Head Out on Family Adventures
It’s always great to have a lot of fun as a family, but do you ever think to either invite your parents along or even head out and do the activities with them instead? You could go cycling as a family or even hike. It’s great to be active together, and it shakes up your daily routine. You could even pack a picnic too and make a day of it.
Invite Them on Vacation
You could even go one step further and invite them on vacation with you. Now, this one might depend on how close you are with your parents, and if you get along. But you should be able to find a family vacation that everyone will enjoy. Then, you get to spend some time together, sometime apart, and even some time on your own if your parents want to go off with the kids for a while.
Go with Their Ideas
Sometimes, it can be hard to connect with your parents when you’re so different. What you consider to be one thing, they may consider to be something completely different – and that can make it hard to connect. But, sometimes, you just should go with it. If they have different ideas about activities or days out, just let them have their moment and go along with their plans – especially if it makes them happy. It’s the least you can do.
Play Some Sports
Then there’s always sports to think about. Again, this may depend on your parents, as if they are very elderly they may not be able to. But, if they are physical, it’s a terrific way to bond. You may think bonding with your son over sports is a great idea, but why not bring your Dad into the equation too? You could all play tennis together, or even make it a regular thing as a part of your bonding sessions.
Have One on One Time with Them
And just like we talked about allowing your parents valuable one on one time with your kids, you may also want to think about doing the same with your parents. And this guide can help. Although it talks about ways to bond with your kids one on one, a lot of the principles apply when you want to bond one on one with your parents too. Quality time together can be so important for all your relationships, so make sure you get some with your parents.
Treat Them Every Once in Awhile
Next, you may also want to think about how you can treat them every once in a while. After all, they are your parents. They raised you; they made sacrifices for you – so it’s only fair of you to show how thankful you are to them. And you don’t even have to buy them gifts; it could be a nice dinner or a picking bunch of flowers from the garden. Sometimes, it’s more the thought that counts.
Be Aware of Their Health
And finally, during all of this, you’re going to want to make sure that you are completely aware of their health. Your parents are getting old, so they aren’t going to be as young, healthy, and agile as they once were. It’s important that you know their limitations and even care for them as they cared for you when you were a child. You may find that this alone is what builds your bond.
