My father and I are really close. I had an amazing childhood. I am really close to my 10 year old son - we are really good friends.
1. Say 'no' - my son asks for a lot of stuff that he really doesn't need. Even though we are close friends, he's okay when I say 'no'
2. Spend time together - we recently took a trip to Washington DC together.
3. Be interested in their interests - my son loves hockey so I watch hockey with him (on TV and in person) as much as possible.
4. Do my own 'work' - it can be testing sometimes with a 10 year old. If I haven't slept well or mediated, I can sometimes lose my temper.
5. Set a good example - my son works out with me in the morning simply because I did it and he wanted to do what I do.
6. Have time apart - we both need alone time to read or decompress. It's okay.
7. Give them some freedom - I let me son try things or do things because I want him to do his own life, experience failure, etc. I don't want him dependent on me.
8. No victims - my son knows that we don't say 'I can't' or act like victims. We choose ourselves.
9. Manners count - he says 'please' and 'thank you' because I do.
10. Initiative - my son knows that if he wants something, it's up to him to save the money or create the time for what he wants.
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