Tips to sustain a healthy mother-daughter relationship

 

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This article was written by Qaqamaba Falithenjwa

It is normally said that a daughter’s first love is her father, but her first best friend is usually her mom. When a girl child grows up she often looks up to her mother because she is the one person who has the same body as her and does things like her as compared to the dad.

It is no doubt important for a child to have a connection with both parents, however, it is even more crucial for the mom to maintain a healthy and strong relationship with her girl child throughout her life.

This contributes a lot to the daughter because oftentimes if there is no one for them to trust in the entire world, she can rest assured that her mom is her confidant. These are the suggested strategies you can put in place as a mother to ensure your relationship with your daughter is forever tight.

Have an open mind: The Psych Central advises being open-minded and nonjudgmental when your daughter shares her experiences, asking questions and allowing her to educate you about her emotions and challenges, makes her feel heard and accepted, which is crucial in relationships. “Ask questions and allow her to educate you about her experience, even if you already know the answer.”

Give her room: The above publication states that sometimes disconnecting is necessary for connection. It also stated that if you never spend time apart, you can lose the ability to value your time together. “Depending on your relationship, taking a few days or weeks off from seeing or talking with each other can help make the time you reconnect even better.”

Establish common interests: Dr Rachel Glik‘s publication says, “Whether it’s activities like knitting or thrifting, cooking or hiking. Or maybe it’s a lunch and a mani-pedi, or watching a Netflix series or talking about a cause you both believe in.” This is an effective technique because when you both spend time together participating in these activities, you get to strengthen your bond to a level of friendship.

Embrace individuality: According to Care, being a supportive parent, even if it’s uncomfortable, can help your daughter develop self-confidence and decision-making skills. “You can’t live your daughter’s life for her, and if you try to do so, she’ll resent it. You should always be her biggest cheerleader, even if you think that the peanut butter and pickle sandwich that she insisted on making is disgusting.”

Always be in touch: Canadian Living states that technology can help maintain communication between mothers and daughters, even if they live far apart. It is advised that as mother and daughter, you utilize available technology tools to connect regularly but be mindful enough to balance technology use with face-to-face connections. “Try to maintain a balance between keeping in touch via electronic devices on the fly and finding time for those meaningful face-to-face connections.”

This article first appeared on Bona.