Can I Be Friends With My Kids?

Five of our experts explain the difference between being a parent versus a friend.

parenting advice: friends with kid
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It's a question that all parents struggle with, especially as their kids grow older: Is it ever OK to be friends with your kids?

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In this video, Senior VP of Experts Melanie Gorman poses the question to YourTango Experts Richard Drobnick, Lesli Doares, Randy Nathan and Carolyn Meyer-Wartels weigh in with their thoughts.

"You want to be close to your kids. You want to love them; you want to be available to them; you want to have a relationship with them; you want them to feel free to come and talk to you about certain issues," Drobnick says, "but it's still different than a friendship."

To echo the argument, Doares says, "Being friends makes it harder to parent."

Want to learn more? Check out the video above!

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