Wade Horn, president of the National Fathering Institute, says research shows the number one way to prevent high-risk behavior in teens is to have the kind of relationship where they feel they can talk openly with their parents.
It doesn’t happen when you just walk through the door and say “Talk to me!” When they feel good enough to talk with you is usually when you feel good enough about them to be around, to give them time, whether they talk or not.
What begets quality time is quantity time — just being around when those rare moments come when they do feel like talking.
That’s not something you can predict. Children are not like alarm clocks that you can set to come on when it’s convenient for you.
Just being around a child is the primary way to develop a bonding relationship.
