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Home › Articles › Family › Making the Connection

Making the Connection

Helping Dads Forge Son and Daughter Bonds

By Gina Roberts-Grey, LCSW

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Look for ways to incorporate your personal flair in a young son's interests. One day Marco Medina of Seattle, Wash., suggested he and his 3-year-old son go on an exploratory walk around their neighborhood. "It started a Saturday morning tradition," says Medina. Planning on adding hiking and bike riding to their adventures as his son matures, Medina appreciates the chance to enjoy simplistic time with his son. "Sometime we see who can collect the most odd-shaped rocks or colored leaves, other days we just kick stones or eat cookies while we walk," he says.

Allow your son to become acquainted with your willingness to learn about his interests and hobbies and identify opportunities to gain insight into his opposite world. Try learning about a new sport together or taking up a hobby you both can share. Rock, coin, stamp or book collections give you a chance to better understand his viewpoint and enjoy his interests and rediscover yours. A carefree afternoon spent wrestling in the grass or baking mud pies will create lasting memories and strengthen the bond with your son. Teach him the benefit of tempering his natural boyish charisma with manly grace and a well-rounded perspective.

Pretty in Pink
Fathers of daughters tend to find themselves in a foreign land where pink is the national color. "Young girls want to share their playtime with dad," says Nancy Nelson from Chicago, Ill. They want to impress the father they so dearly admire. "They also enjoy the doting attention and wrapping their dad around their finger," adds Nelson.

There are a multitude of options for fathers to connect with their pint-sized princesses. Introduce her to your multifaceted world, and sh

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