By Bobbi DePorter

These are challenging times for all of us, and perhaps especially for families. Most parents are working from home, and students are being schooled at home—it’s a lot of togetherness!!

Our children are also struggling. They’re away from their friends, they’re trying to do their schoolwork and learn at home. They’re feeling isolated and unmotivated. And no one—not parents or their children—has a “social life” now. Everyone’s new “normal” day-to-day life is far removed from what they’re used to. Even in the best of family relationships, this can become trying for all.

Though you may have good communication with your children, these are challenging times and being more mindful of building rapport goes a long way. Rapport is defined as a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well.

Rapport creates emotional engagement and gives us on-ramps into our children’s lives. It creates a way for us to enter their world, know their concerns, and share their successes. Rapport helps us understand our children’s feelings and ideas as well as their fears and challenges, leading to better communication and solid relationships.

Here are a few suggestions for building and maintaining rapport with your children.

        What happened?

        What did I learn?

        How will I apply what I learned?

Positive support, a nurturing environment, and good communication are essential for strong relationships with your children. Parents who make an effort to build rapport with their children will not only strengthen their relationships, but also build their children’s feelings of acceptance and trust. This in turn builds their self-confidence, a vital ingredient in their overall happiness.

Built on mutual trust and emotional comfort, rapport develops over time and must be nurtured. It is, however, well worth every minute that you—and your children—put into it. When children feel understood and supported, they feel safe and happy, at home and in themselves.

*      *      *      *      *

Bobbi DePorter
President, Quantum Learning Network

SuperCamp / QL Education
SuperCamp.com / QuantumLearning.com

Find out more about SuperCamp’s new virtual programs:
www.QLUniverse.com

QLUniverse.com/SuperCampU


Quantum Learning is embraced by tens of thousands of schools, with significant positive results. QL methods orchestrate joyful, engaging, and meaningful learning, and are the foundation of our programs. SuperCamp, the leading learning and life skills summer residential leadership program for nearly 40 years, has more than 85,000 graduates.