The Importance Of Treating Children Like Equals

If you want to inspire your children, you may think about treating your child as an equal rather than someone who has to listen to everything you say. This school of thought can be a controversial one, especially among parents who believe children need to be treated like children. But there are benefits to doing this. 

It Encourages an Open Forum

Children may feel like they cannot speak to us about certain problems, especially if they are feeling like they have a mental health concern. Sometimes we can be an overbearing parent that gives orders. While there are teenage depression treatment centers that can help, building up a dialogue and treating our children like our equals can hopefully open the doors of communication. 

It Teaches Your Child That You Trust Them

We all want to teach our children about trust and we want our children to trust us but sometimes as parents, we can feel like we've gone down the wrong way. We can all become frustrated parents and if we start to treat a child like our equal, we are teaching a lot about the concept of trust. When we don't hover over our children and we let go of our control during certain times, this is the perfect opportunity to give our children that opportunity to show us they can deal with certain parts of life. It's important to their mental health and their well-being, but it also develops their confidence. We might wonder if we can trust our children, but if we take a step back and treat them like they are our equals, this might bring about a whole new side of them, a side that we have never seen before because they are stepping up to the plate. 

How Do We Treat Children Like Equals?

The hardest thing about treating our children like this is because we've seen them grow up and we understand their abilities (or inabilities) to handle situations, but there is one thing that we need to remember: you should treat your child like you would want to be treated. When you think about how you would like to be spoken to and then speak to your child like this, it can slowly open the gates. 

Include Them in the Plans You’re Making

A very simple thing that does wonders for relationships between parent and child; you don't necessarily need to give your child the final vote but when you make them a part of the decision and ask them what they think, this is an easy way for them to feel like they are a grown-up and are trusted and valued part of the family. 

It's Easier Said Than Done

When we treat a child like an equal, it's not about throwing away everything we've done up to this point, but it's about one simple thing: giving them respect. We don't need to do away with boundaries or rules, but this can be a solid lesson for our children to feel more like a human part of the family.