A parent child bond is the most beautiful one, yet one of the most difficult to nurture as your little one grows older.

• Develop and maintain a special bedtime ritual

For younger children, reading a favorite bedtime book or telling stories is a ritual that will most likely be remembered throughout their life. Older children should not be neglected either. Once children start reading books, get them to read a page, chapter, or short book to you. Even most teenagers still enjoy the ritual of being told goodnight in a special way by a parent- even if they don’t act like it.

• Let your children help you

Parents sometimes inadvertently miss out on opportunities to forge closer relationships by not allowing children to help them with various chores. Simple household tasks like unloading groceries after going to the store is a good example of something that your children can and should assist with. Giving your child the opportunity to choose which shoes look better with your dress lets them know their opinion well.

• Play with your children

They key is to really play with them. Play with dolls, ball, make belief, checkers, sing songs, or whatever is fun and interesting. It doesn’t matter what you play, just enjoy each other. Let your kids see your silly side. Older kids enjoy cards, chess, computer games, while younger ones will have fun playing with anything- as long as it involves you.