Being a parent is the most important job you can ever do. It’s extremely demanding in every sense of the word. However, no one really talks about how important building a relationship with your child is and how it can impact their emotional development and mental health even into adulthood.

Your relationship with your child is the first chance they will ever have to experience a personal connection. The state of your relationship with your child will be the reference point they carry with them for the rest of their lives.

How you interact with your child from the moment they are born will determine the majority of their personality, self-worth, social instincts, and ability to connect with their peers and form meaningful relationships.

Although there is no one right way to raise a child, different parenting styles will have different outcomes on your child’s social skills and temperament. By showing them what a healthy relationship looks like, you will help them determine who is a good friend or partner as well as positively or negatively influence their confidence, responsibility, self-esteem, ability to emotionally regulate, etc.

Think about the relationship you have or had with your own parents and how it has influenced your life, and possibly even your parenting strategy. Do you feel like it’s healthy enough to repeat it for another generation?

Whatever the answer is to that question, you will find relevant and helpful answers and guidelines in this book that are research-based with just a hint of personal experience sprinkled into the mix.

You are already a great parent, but there are probably ways you can improve some of your parenting strategies to create positive influences and environments for your child while effectively teaching them about discipline and appropriate behavior.