How to Build a Relationship With Your Child That Will Weather Life’s Storms

Key points

Take good care of yourself as you take good care of your child.

Welcome problems as opportunities for learning together with your child.

Show up. Be grateful. Be positive. Model self-respect and respect for others.

A strong and loving relationship with your child is your most important parenting asset in the long run. As psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner said, “Somebody’s got to be crazy about that kid. That’s number one. First, last, and always.”

Your child’s cognitive, emotional, social, ethical, and even their physical abilities develop in the context of that strong and loving relationship. Being a parent inevitably includes situations where one or both of you get it wrong. What are the most powerful evidence-based tools to help you build and sustain a resilient rel