A healthy parent-child relationship goes a long way, no questions about it. It provides the child the right amount of encouragement and motivation to work hard and go after his dreams. It instills, in him, the confidence to face challenges and never quit no matter how adverse the circumstances might be. Lack, thereof, can manifest in a variety of negative ways. This is, especially, true for teenagers who, upon experiencing lack of communication and trust from their parents, resort to lying, stealing or becoming short-tempered.

While majority of the parents think that providing a warm meal and a roof over the head is enough; the story does not end there. Teens want a line of communication with their parents through which they can express their concerns, gain their trust and sometimes just spend some quality time with their folks. They want their parents to be genuinely interested in their lives and not pass them up for work and other responsibilities.

Teenagers comprehend their parent’s lack of attention very differently. Parents might not be able to spare time due to work or other  responsibilities but a teenager would interpret their behavior as parents not loving their child. In order to regain some of that attention, teenagers often demonstrate questionable behavior to elicit some sort of response from their parents. Trust forms the building block of a relationship and it is vital that parents build an air of trust with their kids to ensure a healthy association. Keeping that in mind, let’s take a look at some ways parents can achieve that goal:

Make the first move

Parents should never hesitate to make the first move when it comes to rebuilding trust.  Parents, often,  hold out for their teen to reach out to them with the notion that if they want to discuss something they should come to them. The waiting ends up doing more bad than good. It is crucial for parents to set a positive example and make that important first move.

Open lines of communication

The key to successfully building trust with your teen lies in effective communication between the  parents and the teenagers. Keeping channels of communication open is vital in building parent-child trust. It would be difficult to improve on a positive start if communication stays restricted or if thoughts or concerns from both ends aren’t fully exchanged.

Fulfill your promises

Keeping your promises is definitely a positive step towards building trust. Consistently cancelling out plans with your kids, like watching your favorite team play with your son or missing your daughter’s ballet performance, will only create misunderstandings and confusion. Parents and teenager's communication has to be dealt with in a proper manner. 

If followed properly all the above-mentioned factors will go a long way in ensuring that both the parent and the child share a healthy relationship and work together to resolve their differences.