Treating your child as a friend.

I am not yet a parent but I would like to commend how my mom raised us. She indeed served as a mother in providing her children basic needs and love a child would have ever wanted. She lifted her self by means of continuing education and having a challenging job though she's a single mom. That's why we, her children was so proud of her. We were there through her hard work and she always remind us that every good things she never experienced she wanted to give to us. She always said to enjoy life and there's more on it =) I believe she turned out to be our friend because she was not too hard instead she had trusted her kids and if we made mistake, we can just simply tell her. She made us understand life by going out in outdoor experiences. I guess it's also important that parent and child have common activities together, no matter how life may get rough, you have an outlet to release it especially when you know you have someone like your mom to comfort you

Hi friend, we can become a good friends to our teen age kids, in fact we must be a good friends to them to guide them in a good way, during childhood days, our kids will follow our words and advice, after getting maturity they will go in their own way, at that time parents must be a good friends to them and guide them in a good way

I don't treat my child as a friend, nor do I plan to. He has lots of friends his age. When he is a teenager, he will hopefully have good friends his age - I plan to be the parent. I will set boundaries for him and teach him to set boundaries. I will cook him healthy food and teach him to make healthy choices. Friends can do these things, too, but it's my job as his parent to do this.

I though I could be friends with my children when I was a young mother, but quicly discovered that we can be good or bad parents, but not friends. If we are good parents, our children will be near us and tell us their problems. But we will not go to a part with them

My parents is just like friends for me. I used to share everything with them. Especially if I am in a trouble I seek my parents help. Definitely they will relax me first and then help me to solve the problem. I am so proud to say that my parents are my best friends .

I think the manner of treating the child depends on different levels, especially considering the age range. Some parents encouraged the children to be open, but it is not advisable. We need to wait for the child to ask guidance of their parents. The parents are always on their side, whenever they needed them.

Although I dont have a child. My mom also treats me as friend. But at 11 or 15 age I think most parents experiences a hard time befriending their children because at this ages they really think that they are already grown ups. But just being always at their child they would realize soon that they can also be your friend. And also dont be strict so much.

You child should be treated like a friend, not only like a friend but like a very very best friend. You could easily do this if you would just be always at your childs side.

I don't have children yet but I don't think that I will be treating her as my friend. I will treat her like my daughter or son because she or he have other people to play the friends role. I see a lot of people who treat their kids as their friends but it sometimes don't work. A have a friend in college who have very lenient parents. They seem to always want her affection and approval so they give her anything. They don't really discipline her or anything like that. I think most parents fear that their children will like not them if they force authority to them but I think it's quite the opposite. My friend don't really respect her parents. Parents are their to guide their children and to be tough to them when it is needed, they are not their to be their 'friend'.

I always tell my kids that I am their parent first and their friend second. I try to be very open with my kids because I want them to talk to me. I don't want them to think that I'm such a parent that I can't help them deal with any issues they may be having at school or elsewhere. I am pretty laid back for the most part and I have really good kids. They don't get into trouble often, but when they do, all that "laid back" goes out the window. I like that my kids have a healthy fear of me and that they know if they do something wrong that once I find out, it's all over. But, being the fact that I don't give them a bunch of crap any other time as long as they follow the rules, I have promised them that I will treat them as equals. There's nothing wrong with being your child's friend, as long as you keep the line between parenting and friendship very clear. As long as they know when to parent first, I don't see a problem with it. =)

I agree. Sometimes, many parents are very angry about their child and they don't how to treat them.