Walk with your kids!

I met a friend who had just taken their son to college the previous month.  She said they’d taken a walk together last night.  WHAT?!?!?  Turns out, they had established a relationship pattern while he was still at home by taking a walk together several evenings each week.  Normally, her son wasn’t a big talker.  But when walking, he would chat about the little and big things that were happening in his life.  Now that he is away at college, he still walks with his mom via headphones and cellphones.  What joy!

Is there something about walking and not sitting face to face that makes us more open to communicate?  This kind of a walk is something along the lines of a “date night” with your spouse or kids.  But if you find that communication is not as free flowing as you’d like on your “date” night, try taking a walk instead….or walking to and from your “date” place.

I just love talking to parents and grandparents.  They have great ideas and examples of how to build relationships!