The Trust Balance: Children's Trust in Parents

Kicking off a new series today entitled "The Trust Balance" in which I will explore the power of trust between children and parents, and between spouses. Trust is a very key foundation in any relationship, personal and business alike. Without trust, we cannot have firm relationships. This is especially true when it comes to the relationships we hold with members of our family. Today I will be exploring the trust relationship our children have in us as parents.

From the very beginning, children are dependent their parents. They depend on us for food, for comfort, for their well being, and for emotional development. The trust balance begins here. Our children have to know they can trust us. From the start, they do so without cognitive reason, and more out of need to survive. They start to learn early on that they can count on us for provision, for comfort when they are sick, sad, or just cranky. The trust a young infant has in their parents is a strong sense, and is a bond that needs to be maintained as the child grows. The question, however, is how do we maintain that trust?

The Trust Balance: Introduction to a New Series

“We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy” - Walter Anderson

Welcome to The Daddy Yo Blog on this fine Monday morning. Today I would like to introduce a new post series I will be writing called "The Trust Balance". Inspired by a book I am currently reading (and will probably review on here later) and a topic that is covered in the book.

Trust is a major issue in so many areas of our lives. From our relationships with our children, to our relationships with our spouses and significant others, to our relationships in our places of business. Trust is a key foundation to how the world turns. We trust that when we go to bed we will wake up the next morning. We trust that the brakes in our cars will work when the pedal is applied. We trust in faith, community, government, and businesses.

Relating trust to parenting: We want our children to grow up to trust in us. To trust that we will always be there, that when there is a problem they can come to us for help and guidance. We want them to trust that we will provide for them and help them achieve their goals We want them to trust our words and our actions. But wait, isn't trust a two way street? Answer: YES!!! Just as we want our children to trust us, we have to be willing to invest trust in our children.

We want to raise our children to some kind of standard. Those standards differ from family to family but the principle is the same. The true test of how we are doing will come when we put our trust into our children that they will live their lives with integrity, honesty, and openness. We want our children to feel comfortable to come to use with anything, good or bad, and we have to be willing to show them that trust.

"The Trust Balance" will be a multi part series starting a week from today, and continuing every Monday. Topics will include "A Child's Trust in Parents", "Our Trust in Children", "Trust and Marriage" and "The Grand Scheme". I invite you to be a part of this series as it goes. Check in on Mondays and weigh in your two cents.  I hope for this series to be a conversation starter, so even if you disagree, leave your response, and let's discuss. As always, thanks for stopping by today! I look forward to sharing this series with you and getting the discussion going on such a thick subject!