Can Parents and Children be friends?

i think parents and children can be friends and should be friends. in fact i believe that parent children relationship strenghted by friendship is a lot better than a parent children relationships based on the idea of authority. when parents and children are friends, it is easier for children to confide their feelings and any misunderstanding will be ironed out fast because of the open relationship. the fact that parents and children are friends doesn't mean that the parents are no longer in authority over their children. authority is innate to parents. besides, one observation i noticed with parents who are maintaining good friendship with their children is that children are more likely to obey their parents not because they are in authority but because they understand what their parents are telling them. Children understand because they are at friends with their parents.

sure you can become friends,i have 2 grown kids an they are my best friends.they tell me everything an i listen to them an give them advice an we go out shopping together an eating out ,garage sale.an "while we are friends.i put the mother part of me on the back burnner.but when its time they really need there mom.then the friend is on the back burnner.an that when ,i, becomes there mom..i hope this made sence to you..lol

I would like to think that my kids will consider me a friend as I get older. You are right you do still need to give them authority, but you should be there as a friend to them as well so they can talk to you if they need to.

I think it would be very hard ... I would struggle to be a mother figure as well as a friend. I guess once they are older then things change - i don't look at my parents now as being authority.

i think as long as you remember that you are a parent first and a parent always, you can have a frends relationship with your child to an extent. i've always wanted a close friend like relationship with my daughter but i know that my first job is to parent her, guide her and help her. you have to pick times when you have quality time to be together. those are your friends moments and the rest need to be more of a parent role.

I hope so..I have a very close relationship with my daughter she confines me alot share secrects and tell me things that bothers her. She just got married and now just found out that shes pregnant so I am going to be a grandma. We are very close and hope to stay that way wish I was like that with my mom but I couldnt tell her things. I have always told my daughter to come and tell me and I will try to work things out so far so good.

I absolutely think there is a way to be friends and a parent to your child..I have been best friends with my dad..and he is a great parent as well..This is what my son and i will hopefully have one day..there is always the part that he wil know that I am his mom and he will respect me and understand when i am the parent and he will always eb able to come to be and talk about anything..and when he gets older I hope we have a strong friendship like my dad and I have..it can be done..

I would very much hope that I can have a friendship with my children. I think that if this is a very large part of your relationship with them, this isn't such a good thing as there have to be appropriate boundaries. But it should be a component of the parent - child relationship, particularly as the kids reach teenage years. This could be the one thing that saves your child from some of the common but harmful traps in adolescence.

There is a way that you can be both a parent and a friend to your children. I am this way with my oldest daughter, who will be 13 years old on Sunday. She knows her boundaries with me, and she also knows that I won't take her crap if she acts up. She knows that I also care for her and love her very much, so I keep it open for her talk to me about anything she so desires. The only problem that I face with her is that she lives with my mother in Ohio, and I live in South Florida. We talk on the phone all the time, and when she feels the need to call she can at any time (night or day). This is my open policy with her as well. In order to do this, though, you really need to be close to your child(ren), and, even though she lives far from me, we are still extremely close. I raised her until she was 7 years old, so I know that she trusts me no matter what.

why cannot be,,,, I believe if family is friend , if family is friend, upto 70% of the people or rather kids who generally get misleaded by some outsiders would be at an even safer hand!!! People have a tendancy to be in grooups.... to search for our frineds.... with whom whom we may share -- we all need them -- but we never look for them in our family? Why -- because of certain such stupid believs--- as a result they search a friend outside and finally they lose!!! and so do you in upbringing your children -- even if he gets a very sensible frined outside home -- it would again be you who would be after his life that why is he liking someone more than his parents-- I ask why shouldnt he ---when parents never bothered to be friends.... I guess if a friendly relation is maintained it can be the best thing done--- and i can say that copz i have got it and i have seen so mnay people who were not lucky enough to get this -- and now at this stage my mom feels so immensely proud over her kids.... when the town really talks of the way, my mom brought uo her kids.... all by herself.... SO i would urge please watch up again whilst you upbring them....

This is worlds best thingh to have a friendship with your children.It will also protect your children from learning bad things from outside world.I f you are agood friend of your child ,he\she will share everthungh with you and will ask your advice in every matter.I am not married man,but i will be the bets friend of my children.

it ll be great if parents and childrens r like friends..they can share everything and understand each other well..it ll be great for the relationship

I think parents can be friends with their own kids and even more it is really a good way to make their relationship have no difference.At first they will try to tell each other their secrets not competely.Parents please don't try to know all friends of ur kids,I know you will have a good knowledge about ur kids from his friends but,Children's idea about friends will be different with you,so don't try to know all about them

Sure, parent needs to be like friend with their children. As friendship between them makes a good base to share all types of problems. Being friend is like being good supporter for every type of situation in life.

yes, thats true but its important to have your child as a friend as well as your daughter. different kind of friendship, like been there when they need someone to talk with about friends and lovers. but a parent when they need to be in place and understand they cannot do or say things.

I dont think its possible, first and foremost you are always going to be a parent and your parental instinct is always going to come into play. Of course you can have a close relationship and be open with each other, but its always going to be different than traditional friendship.

oooh yess this is really true i have my own personal example , when i was three my father left and my mother brought us up.i share each and every thing with her and she always suggest me the best .. parents could be the best friends too and its true and about children well i am not married however i am very chill with my mom you can consider it as another example :) what do u think

ya parents should be as friends to children to know & to solve their problems & also to make their childs life as a easy going way..........

I must confess my Mom and I became to understand each other only when I was about 19 years old. Now I can say that there are things we talk about so easily, we understand each other fully, like two friends. It doesn't mean I tell her everything, but anyway, our relationships are really like those between friends. I don't know what our relationships with my children will be like, but I would really love to make friends with them.

I have a 17 year old daughter. All of her friends call us mom and dad and i am happy that they feel comfortable enough to do so. My daughter tells of all of her friends girls and guys think that we are cool and like spending time at our house. We all have dinner at the dining table and so many of the teens tell me they never have dinner at the table with their family. This is surprising to me. My daughter has said to me many times that several of her friends have Moms that try to be more of a friend than a parent and how strange and weird this is. She says kids have friends but they need to have parents more.