😘😘relation 🤝🤝between father and son 🥰🥰
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Why Is A Father-Son Relationship Important?
Studies have shown that children who grow up in the care and guidance of their fathers are more empathetic and have greater control over the course of their lives. They also tend to do better in school and have more motivation when compared to those who lack the love or guidance of their fathers (1).
Here are some valuable lessons you, as a father, can teach your son:
- Develop the strength to face life. Life won’t always be a cakewalk. There are challenges that boys have to face when they grow up. The societal pressures to succeed at work, support the family, and to be an upstanding citizen in the community will not be easy to handle without proper guidance. So, your son can take all the advice you have to offer.
Help your son build self-esteem and self-confidence early in life, by involving him in some of the major decisions that affect his life. Remind him that while it is okay to fail, but it is not okay to give up.
- Teach him what is right. Sometimes the wrong path looks lucrative but can lead you to the bottom quickly. So, teach your son to choose the right path no matter how hard things get. Model for him the power of integrity and honesty. Share your personal experiences and provide reinforcement when your son makes good decisions..
- Importance of family. If you have always put your family first, and are consistently there for them, then you are teaching your son the importance of family. Your son will l adopt many of your attitudes and behaviors about how to lead a family. Teach him the importance of spending quality time with family and valuing the family unit.
- Affirm his choices. Your son could face several dilemmas in life. So, teach him not to be afraid to take the road less traveled. For example, you could be a star baseball player, and your son might be into the arts. Rather than forcing him to do something you like, give your affirmation and encourage him to pursue his passion.
- Respect the women in his life. This is an important lesson which only you can teach your son. The way you treat your wife will lay the foundations for his future romantic relationships too. Also, if you are loving, empathetic, and helpful towards your wife, he will learn to respect his mother. Your choice of movies and books can also help them understand your attitude towards society and women and promote respect for them.
- To find a friend in you. As a father, it is your responsibility to discipline your son and build their character, but your responsibility must not overshadow your love for him. While disciplining him, you must also assure your son that you could be his best friend, and he can share anything with you.
- The true definition of masculinity. Whenever he is facing a tough situation, lend a shoulder, listen patiently, and assure him it is okay to feel sad and even shed a tear or two. By doing so, you are teaching him that expressing his deep feelings won’t make him less of a man.
- Work on a hobby together. Some fathers enjoy time with their sons when they find a hobby they can do together. Whether that involves collecting memorabilia, building model airplanes, gardening, or restoring an old car, find something you are both excited about and do it together.
- Participate in father-son activities. Local communities and schools often organize father-son events like fishing derbies, game nights, and more, so be sure to take advantage of these events. The Boy Scouts also provide an opportunity to bond. Father-son duos can camp, hike, work on merit badges, and spend quality time together. You could even consider getting involved as an adult Scouter volunteer.
- Volunteer for your son's after school activities. If your son is involved in extracurricular activities, look for opportunities to get involved. For instance, you can volunteer to be a timer at a swim meet, a line judge at a volleyball game, a chaperone for a band competition, or an usher at the school play. Regardless of your son's activities and interests, there are always ways to get involved.
- Play a sport together. Although the mention of sports conjures up images of traditional sports like football, basketball, and baseball, don't let that limit you. There are many sports that fathers and sons can do together like running, hiking, rock climbing, skateboarding, volleyball, swimming, and even ice hockey.
- Music: Some fathers and sons both have a passion for music. Whether that means attending concerts together, following particular bands, building playlists, or even creating your own band, there are a number of ways you can bond over your shared interest in music.
- Sports: Following a favorite sports team is a classic father-son activity. Aside from watching the games on TV or attending a game in person, fathers and sons have been bonding over baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and more for years. If sports are something you and your son share a passion for, look for ways to build on this shared interest.
- Outdoor activities: When it comes to the great outdoors, the options are endless. Perhaps you both enjoy hiking, fishing, and camping, or maybe you both enjoy gardening, bird watching, or stargazing, the key is to explore different things until you find something you both enjoy.
- Cooking: Some fathers and sons find that they both enjoy cooking, grilling, or even baking. If this is a shared interest for you and your son, you can spend a few days a month experimenting with flavors and creating new recipes. You can even enter cooking competitions together. Doing so, will build memories to last a lifetime.
- Games: Whether you play board games or video games, if you and your son both enjoy games you have countless options for father son bonding time. Nothing builds a relationship more than playing a game together. Aside from the fun you get from a little friendly competition, playing a game together is the perfect vehicle for having meaningful conversations. And it's these conversations that allow you to build a deeper relationship with your son.
- Look for service opportunities. Whether you work on an Eagle Scout project together or you choose a charitable foundation to support, completing a service project together is a great way to bond with your son while learning the importance of giving back.
- Plan an adventure. Some fathers and sons enjoy going on an adventure together like biking across the country or walking the Appalachian Trail. You also can make it a goal to visit all the baseball parks in the country or try white water rafting in a variety of locations.
- Remodel or build something. Sometimes the best way to bond with your son is to build something together. What's more, your project can be as big or as small as you want it to be. For instance, you can build a bird feeder, flower boxes, an elevated garden, or display shelves for your memorabilia. Or, if you're really ambitious, you could always remodel a room in your home creating a cool space that the two of you can enjoy together later.
- Give your son your full attention.2 Whether your son comes to you with a question or they're talking while you're out on the lake, it's important that you give your son your full attention. Make eye contact and pay attention to their words without interrupting or offering advice.
- Stop what you're doing.2 When your child is talking, it's important that you stop what you're doing and pay attention. This may mean putting your phone down or turning away from the computer. Of course, if you're driving or doing something you cannot stop at the moment, do your best to communicate that they have your full attention like turning off the radio in the car.
- Reflect back what they're saying.2 A hallmark of active listening is the ability to repeat back what the other person is saying. Ensure your son knows that you understand what they're saying as well as how the situation makes them feel. If you are unsure, it's OK to ask questions for clarification but watch how you phrase the question as well as your tone of voice. You don't want your questions to come off like you're irritated, interrogating them, or being judgmental.
Have Conversations
Our children are bombarded with negative messages all around them. Just watching commercials on television can create a sense of inadequacy in our sons. They probably are not quite as strong, may not have six pack abs, or be quite as good looking as the guys they see on television.
As they grow up, they are forced to navigate and wrestle with a lot of big issues. For this reason, fathers need to have regular conversations about those big issues. Here's a brief overview of some of the topics you need to make sure you are talking about.
- Sex: Take the time to talk to your son about sex and relationships. Being open to having these conversations will help your son develop better attitudes about sex and romantic partners in general. Be sure to also have age-appropriate conversations about everything from sexting to consent.
- Relationships: Talk to your son about healthy friendships and relationships. Make sure they know what constitutes healthy dating as well as what would be considered toxic or abusive behavior.
- Money: Teaching your son how to handle money is one of the most important skills you can provide them with. Discuss the importance of saving, budgeting, and investing while giving them opportunities to practice their skills.
- Social media: When it comes to social media, it's important to teach your son the basics of digital etiquette before they even get a social media account. As they get older, be sure they know what constitutes cyberbullying as well as how important it is to manage their image online. Additionally, it's never too early to help them do a social media audit and clean up their accounts from time to time.
- Peer pressure: Talk to your son about the risks of peer pressure and what they can do if they're pressured to do something they're not comfortable with, especially when it comes to juuling, drinking alcohol, and using drugs. Equip them with the tools needed to respond to peer pressure in a healthy way.
- Spirituality: Helping a son be grounded spiritually is an important role for a father. Whatever your faith tradition, help your son understand the deeper meaning of life. If you don't have a faith tradition, help them look at things deeper than on the surface.
A Word From Verywell
Focusing on your son, spending positive time together, and talking about life lessons, scattered with a large dose of quiet and engaged listening, will help you develop a nurturing and meaningful relationship with your son. Your efforts also will help your son form attitudes that allow them to develop into an upstanding person in the richest sense of the word.
Your choice of movies and books can also help them understand your attitude towards society and women and promote respect for them.
Some fathers find it difficult to express love in exorbitant ways, but a father’s love is like the air – invisible, yet essential. Whereas boys often bond to their mothers right from his birth, a sons’ relationships with their fathers more commonly evolve and change over time.
How The Father-Son Relationship Evolves Over The Years
The father-son relationship may not remain the same throughout. It goes through a roller coaster of emotions and settles down at a stage that is comfortable for both. Let us look at its journey in detail.
Early childhood: Although babies depend mostly on their mothers for nourishment and care, the time spent with fathers is equally important. Studies suggest that father-child interactions are more stimulating, vigorous, and arousing (2). During early childhood, the son looks up to his father, who is his hero and inspiration. He idolizes his father and feels fascinated when his dad fixes his toy or lifts him high up in the air.
He pictures his dad to be stronger than Hercules, or wiser than Einstein, and tries to imitate him. He insists on eating like him, dressing, and even walking like him. He longs to spend time with him, and a small compliment from his dad is all it takes to make his day.
Teenage: This is a tough phase for both the son and the father because, at this stage, the son develops his own opinions. There are clashes of opinions, arguments, and the inevitable locking of horns. Fishing trips and football matches with dad now get replaced with skateboarding with friends.
Teens usually trade their former idolization for their fathers for admiration of friends or famous personalities. But it need not always be this way. A little effort by both father and son can pave the way for a smooth transition to adolescence, where the dad minds the generation gap, and the son accommodates his dad in this new phase of life.
Adulthood:In this phase, the son realizes his father may be right about many things, and the father develops greater trust in his son more, as he is a mature adult and no longer an impulsive teenager. The relationship settles down in a comfortable zone, where both respect the other’s boundaries and attain a healthy, more even relationship dynamic.
The father even begins seeking his son’s advice, and the son, once the follower, now slowly takes a greater share in family responsibilities.
While the relationship takes many shapes, there will be troubles too. A father-son relationship could get strained because of a few problems.
7 Things a Son Needs from His Father
When I was eleven my family moved to a new city and I hated it. I didn’t like our new house, my new school, or the kids in our new neighborhood. Every day I went to school I just wanted to leave and fly back to my old town. So I used to fake like I was sick so I’d be sent home. After several days of this my dad came to school and met me in the nurse’s office. He talked about how he knew it was hard, but asked me to give it a try. I felt like I was no longer alone in the struggle. His presence was all I needed to change my attitude.
There’s nothing like the father-son relationship. As a boy grows up, there will be many people who influence him and his development into adulthood. As a father, you are, and should be, his most important role model. He needs you. Tomorrow we’ll cover the 7 things a daughter needs from her dad. However, today here are 7 things a son needs from his father.
1. He needs you to love his mother.
When you love your wife, or the mother of your son, you are showing him how to treat his mother, his sisters, and all the women he’ll meet in his life. This will set the foundation for the relationships he will have later in his life. If you are divorced and the relationship is difficult, do what you can to treat his mother with respect.
2. He needs to see you fail, not just succeed.
The best teacher is failure. The best type of failure to learn from is someone else’s. When your son sees you fail, and handle the failure well, he sees that it is okay to make mistakes and that mistakes can be great teachers. A boy who is not afraid of making mistakes will grow into a man positioned to accept and conquer great challenges.3. He needs your servant leadership.
You may or may not be the boss at work. You may or may not be the pastor or minister at church. You may or may not be a leader in your community. But you are the leader of your family. Your son needs to see leadership in your home. He needs to see you leading by serving. When he sees you leading by serving, he will better understand leadership and be able to more effectively lead versus follow his peers. As he grows, he will better lead his family, lead at work, lead at church, and lead in his community.
4. He needs you to be present.
As you fulfill all the different roles you have, you may be pulled in multiple directions. He needs you to be present in his education, in his social life, in all areas of his life. Some areas are not intended for mom only, or for his friends only. Your presence in all areas will give him the support he needs.
5. He needs your love regardless of his choices.
You may be the biggest sports junkie not living in Bristol, CT (where ESPN headquarters are located). And your son may not be able to kick a ball if you placed it on his toe, nor care that he can’t. No matter what choices your son makes, he needs you to love him even if they are different than yours. Even when they are wrong choices. Your love and guidance will open the door to trust and acceptance that build your relationship. And it will build his self-esteem.
6. He needs you to affirm him.
“I love you, son.” “I’m proud of you, son.” “You are amazing, son.” “I know you can do it, son.” “That was an amazing play you made!” “You are a hard worker.” “You messed up, but I know you’ll bounce back.” Your son needs your encouragement. He needs to hear the words that let him know you love having him as a son.
7. He needs you to discipline him in love.
When you discipline your son, you set boundaries and expectations. He is going to make mistakes just like you did as a kid and just like you do now. But he also needs to know that his actions have consequences. Disciplining him in love will teach him to consider the consequences his actions will have. This will prepare him to think and evaluate the choices he makes both now and in the future.
Other times, communication issues are compounded when both want a better father-son relationship but neither one knows quite how to go about it. If you find yourself in this situation, here are some key elements to creating and building a strong father-son relationship.
Set a Good Example
There are many things you can do to develop a strong bond with your son. Whether we realize it or not, sons learn about being a man primarily by watching their fathers. A father's influence on their son's personal development is often unseen but nonetheless real.As young men watch their fathers interact with others including their partner, they learn about respect (or disrespect), about how men interact with others, and about how men should deal with conflict and differences. Understanding that a father's influence on their son is unmatched will help you think more deeply about your relationship with your son and take your responsibility as a good role model seriously.
Spend Time Together
As a father, make sure that you allow for some one-on-one time with your son. This time together lets your son know that they're important to you, especially if you make time for them amidst a very busy schedule.Carving out time together also communicates that they are a priority in your life and that you enjoy being with them.
While they are young, you can engage in boisterous play outside, read books, build with legos, or play a game. Once they are older and have more defined interests, try to participate in the things they enjoy, too.Whether your son loves basketball or debate, find ways to get involved. Play hoops in the driveway or learn how to be a debate judge when they're in high school. Some of your best memories will be of those times you spent together doing something they're passionate about. Plus, evidence suggests that a father's involvement in activities supports their son's cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development.1 Here are some things fathers and sons can do together.
Develop Shared Interests
Father-son relationships can feel strained at times, especially if your interests appear to be polar opposites. With a little effort, though, you can usually find something that you both find interesting. These shared interests allow you to discover some commonality while maximizing the time you spend together doing something you both enjoy.
Finding common interests benefits your father-son relationship in a number of ways. For instance, sharing an interest with someone allows you insight into who the person is.
Common interests also become a vehicle for bonding by giving you something to talk about and do together that you both enjoy.
If your son is younger, try different things together until you land on something you both enjoy doing. And if your son is older, talk to them about their interests to see if it sparks something in you as well. Here are some common things that fathers and sons might share an interest in, but don't limit yourself to this list.
Work Together on a Project
There is something magical for a boy about being involved in something bigger than themself. Plus, these big, visible projects can really help strengthen a father and son bond.
Some dads and sons build planter boxes, landscape a backyard, build a vacation cabin, participate in Habitat for Humanity, or head off on a big summer biking vacation. Whatever it is, a bigger-than-life project done together can create a bond that will last a long time and make memories you will talk about together for decades.
To come up with a project you and your son can do together, think about what you both enjoy or community issues you are passionate about when developing a project. If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, here are a few tips to get your creative juices flowing.
Listen
Starting from an early age, it's important that fathers learn how to listen to their sons without judgment and without trying to fix things too soon. Doing so, will go a long way to building a lasting relationship and developing an effective communication style.
To encourage your son to open up, look for opportunities to be with your son when you can just listen to what's on their mind or what they have to say. Fishing together, going to a sporting event, or taking a road trip can all be effective ways to create a listening environment.
Commit to spending 75% to 80% of the time engaged in active listening. Here are some tips on how you can effectively engage in active listening.
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