Connecting with Kids

 As summer chugs into August, many parents may be counting the days until September! But wait, these last few weeks with the kids home remains an invaluable opportunity to get smarter about what is going on in the emotional dynamics between you and your children. A few blogs back I recommended Roberta Gilbert as a great writer on the topic of relationships. Another of her titles clearly explains how parents can become better resources to their kids rather than the alternative, which is being part of the problem. Kids have enough problems navigating the challenges of school and social life. Take a look at Gilbert’s Connecting with Our Children: Guiding Principles for Parents in a Troubled world. Her comments on boundaries are worth the price of the book. Check out pages 141 and 142 where she offers Twenty Ways to Invade Your Child’s Boundaries as well as Twenty Ways to Allow a Child to Invade Your Boundaries. Mutual respect for the borderlines keep us centered and close.