The best way to show love? Build trust with your kids in these 4 ways

We can build trust with our kids by being reliable.

It’s the month of love. One of the best ways to show someone you love them, is to trust them. It’s is the foundation of communication, connection and growth.

Studio 5 Parenting Contributor Heather Johnson shares four ways that parents can build trust with their kids.

To contact Heather for counseling, email blog.familyvolley@gmail.com, or visit www.familyvolley.blogspot.com.

4 Ways to Build Trust With Our Kids

1. Give assurance

To give assurance means that we declare with confidence. To our children this means we are saying to them “I am here” and “we got this”.

2. Be reliable

When we are reliable it means that our children can lean into us, and seek support. In action this means we keep confidences; we are there no matter how they use their agency, and we are consistent. We want our children to know what they are going to get.

3. Have Character

Character is choosing to do the right things despite emotion or circumstance. Trust is built by exhibiting character over time!

4. Don’t Parent out of fear

Trust and fear are opposites. When we parent out of fear we criticize, correct, solve, and talk instead of listen. We don’t know the future either way, when we choose fear it leads to anxious, stressed and too much seriousness.