(Guest Post) Raised Single in the City: Build an Unbreakable Bond
“The bonds of love never make the wearer weaker - they give him greater strength”. Wonder Woman
When I was growing up I had an unbreakable bond with my mother. I loved being with my mom and by her being a single parent, I also considered her my best friend. Now, when I stare into the eyes of my beautiful 2 year old daughter, I can’t help but pray to have that kind of bond with her. My connection with my daughter means everything to me and I try to do everything I can to make sure it is strong. So, I thought about the things my mother did to create that bond with me and I wanted to share my top three!
Physical touch
Have you heard that lack of physical affection can actually kill babies? This finding is one that has always stuck with me. I have always been an affectionate person, but I never realized that all the hugs, kisses, and pats on the back actually helped me live and thrive! My mom showered me with physical love and it made me feel so close to her!
Honesty
My mom was extremely honest with me. She always tried to tell me the truth even if it was difficult to hear. This transparency broke any walls between us because I felt like there wasn’t anything that was too good or too bad to talk about. If she was brave enough to tell me her past mistakes, I was definitely comfortable to tell her all of mine.
Listening
Parenting comes with such a long list of things to do and things to worry about, so listening to your child can easily be missed, but not for my mom. She made me feel like my thoughts, opinions, and troubles mattered to her. This gave me the confidence to speak my mind and drew me closer to her.
Something else that occurred to me is that her efforts to do these things also taught me that I am worthy of these things and responsible to provide these things in every other relationship I have. So, really, my mother has given me the rich gift of good, healthy, relationships in life. Talk about a wonderful gift! It is one that I definitely want to pass down to my children, so I guess it is a gift that keeps on giving.😊