Just like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Respect for Parent’s Day is a day to celebrate all of the wonderful things our parents have done for us, Sons and Daughters Day (August 11th) is a day that was created for parents of all types to show love and respect to their children.
Love is a two-way street, and we believe that for everything our kids have done to honor us for raising them, there are things we can to show their mutual appreciation as well.
It’s for this reason we’ve devised this list of 5 tips for National Sons and Daughters Day that you can practice throughout the year to show your kids you love them.
How do you show your kids their love for you is mutual? Feel free to let us know in the comments below!
1. Understand That Life Gets in the Way Sometimes
As our sons and daughters grow up, they adopt a whole new set of responsibilities outside of us so they can’t always commit, as much as they would like to, to seeing us on a regular basis.
In fact, the further away from us they are, whether it’s separated by a handful or hundreds of miles of land and sea, the truer this statement becomes.
In addition, once they are full time college students, in the middle of their professional careers or have started a family of their own, their time for us may not be as frequent as we would like.
But we need to be as flexible with them as we can.
If need be, we may have to limit our in-person visits with them to a few times a year.
However, we can try to arrange longer phone chats with them a few times a month in order to nurture our communication with them at other times.
Tip: Try not to get into one-sided arguments about why they can’t see you.
At the end of the day, we don’t want our sons and daughters to feel like seeing us is another chore on an already lengthy to-do list.
See things from their perspective and be open-minded about their reasons.
They mean well and will come around as soon as they possibly can.
2. Agree to Disagree
As parents, we always try to install certain values in our kids.
Quite frankly, that’s just because it’s natural to want to pass on our ideas of what is “good” and “bad” to the next generation.
As our kids grow up, however, and especially once they move outside of our house and start coming into their own, we may find that they no longer have the same values that we’ve worked so hard to teach them.
One of the most important lessons we should learn as parents is to agree to disagree with our kids whenever we feel that our own fundamental beliefs are affecting our relationships with them.
Above all else, a healthy relationship with our sons and daughters is more important than anything.
3. Nurture Their Dreams
Along with letting our sons and daughters discover who they are, we should also encourage and support them wherever possible in following their dreams.
There’s nothing quite like seeing our kids go far.
Whether or not we’ve made it as far as we want to in life, we should always make it our duty to support them through anything and everything that life throws their way.
Their success lets them know that anything is possible.
Age is nothing but a number.
4. Reciprocate Their Love and Affection
This may seem obvious.
But regardless of whether you’re a parent or child, we can get so used to being on the receiving end of love that we forget that it is something that everyone needs in their life.
In addition, we may at times want to give our sons and daughters some “tough love” and may, as a result, hold back on showing affection for fear that they may not know how to get by without it once they live in the real world.
While this is understandable, it is also not something we want our kids to associate with us 24/7.
A little tug-of-war, and give and take between setting them up to succeed by motivating them to do things by themselves, but also letting them know they are loved is essential.
We are much more able to spread love and joy throughout our own lives if we experience it ourselves. And the most important place to experience it, especially in our youth, is in the home.
5. Bond Over A Shared (Or Different!) Interest
Lastly, as people, we often think that our interests are a dealbreaker. We can also make assumptions about who may or may not “get” us based on what we know about this.
This is particularly true when we consider the generational gaps between our sons and daughters and ourselves.
But it isn’t always true.
One way to bond with your kids is to share the things you love now, or loved as a child, and ask them to do the same.
Whether it’s movies, music, books, or any other sort of hobby (Eh hem, Netflix), you will find some sort of connection that will help you realize that you and your kids are two peas in the same pod.
Well, there you have it.
Our top 5 tips for National Sons and Daughters Day are full of the sorts of mindful behaviors we should all have every day of the year.
One of the basic aspects of a healthy relationship with our kids is respect. It’s no different than how we expect to be treated.
It’s important not only to respect our kids’ boundaries, but also to realize that they are growing into their own people, and that comes with understanding that there may not always be enough time for them to juggle work, family, their own social lives, and spend time with us as well.
But rest assured, they will come around.
When they do, be the sort of parent that listens and responds well to what they’re going through.
Supporting their dreams and showing affection will let them know that they can always confide in you when they need your advice the most.
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