Parents Who Become Practically Besties With Their Kids (In A Healthy Way) Usually Have 8 Rare Traits
Natalie magic / Shutterstock Our parents' personalities play a major role in shaping our connection with them, both when we're kids and after we've grown up. Many people love their parents deeply but don't like them all that much, and they might not choose to be friends with them if they were just some random person they met along the way.
Then there are others who honestly consider one or both of their parents to be extremely close friends. When a parent forms that kind of extremely close bond with their kid in a deeply healthy and natural way, it's usually true that they also have certain rare traits that make them so likable and relatable.
Parents who become practically best friends with their kids in a genuinely healthy way often possess these rare traits
1. They are accepting
Todor Tsvetkov from Getty Images Signature via Canva
It can feel really isolating to a child to feel like they’re not accepted. That’s a common experience for teens with their friends, so it can feel even worse when it comes from their parents, too. If a child doesn't feel accepted by someone who’s supposed to love them unconditionally, they’ll probably feel like they don’t belong anywhere.
But when a child grows up feeling they can be who they authentically are and that their parents will always accept them, they feel safe and comfortable in their presence. Knowing they can turn to their parents to share whatever is going on in their lives without fear of negative reactions means their parents remain some of their favorite people long after they've grown up and moved out of the house.
2. They are open-minded
Kids aren’t just replicas of their parents. They form their own unique habits and life paths. Some parents get upset or become judgmental if their kids act differently than they do, and that harms their relationship.
Children of open-minded parents can figure themselves out without their parents pressuring them to act a certain way. This helps them build confidence and appreciate their parents as people, so they’ll keep talking to their parents on the phone and hanging out with them because they know their parents think deeply about what they say. They don’t have one idea of how their children should be, which validates their children's opinions and feelings and helps them develop a strong friendship that carries on long after their kid grows up.
3. They are flexible
Neurotically strict parents aren’t the best at setting their kids up for a good future. They may think that holding their kids to rigid standards and schedules will help them succeed, but it often just stresses them out and leads them to see their parents as tyrants.
Parental flexibility is seriously beneficial to kids, and it gives them space to explore and change as they grow up. Say their kid is really invested in their after-school football team. If they decide they don’t want to do it anymore and would rather do theater, flexible parents would let them choose.
Kids with flexible parents stay close to them so they can keep experiencing that kind of grace, often turning to them so much that they and their parents end up becoming best friends.
4. They are empathetic
Leticia Alvarez from Pexels via Canva
Empathy is a really important trait for a parent to have. Empathetic parents show their kids that someone cares about how they're feeling. This can make kids feel like they truly matter.
Empathetic parents make their kids feel loved unconditionally. They’re there when their kid needs to cry or rant about something. Talking out emotions can be a really helpful way to process them. Kids who grow up with parents who do this learn they have an unconditional support system that will keep them going.
As adults, their parents will probably remain their main support system, even if they have lots of friends. People get busy, so having someone in your life who is always there for you can be really special. It helps kids see their parents as a best friend they can always lean on.
5. They are self-aware
When parents acknowledge their mistakes, it helps their kids see them as human. As a child, parents are the main authority figures in their life. For parents to become truly great friends with their kids, they have to change that relationship as their kids grow up.
Parents who recognize their flaws show their kids they’re not perfect. It takes away some of their authority, but it helps their kids relate to them more. They’ll be able to talk to them as a friend rather than a strict parent. If they need to talk about something they did wrong, their parents will probably be the first people they call. They'll feel comfortable doing this because their parents acknowledge their mistakes too. Their parents might also share something they did wrong recently, showing their kids they’re still growing too.
6. They are trustworthy
Some parents are really good at keeping secrets, but not all of them. Some parents are really big gossips. They always like to be in the know and share information they learn to prove it to their friends. These parents won’t discriminate between sharing their friends' stories and sharing their kids' stories. When a child notices that everything they tell their parents gets out, they won’t trust them anymore.
On the other hand, trustworthy parents show their kids that they can tell them anything and nobody else will know. Their kids appreciate their parents' secrecy and keep confiding in them. This not only keeps them in contact, but also makes them their best friend. It’s easy to create strong friendships with people you know you can trust, and the same thing goes for parents.
7. They are encouraging
Georgijevic from Getty Images Signature via Canva
Life can be difficult, and it’s easy to get discouraged when things don’t go your way. That’s especially true if you’re working really hard towards something and feel like you’re doing your best.
Kids don’t always naturally have the emotional endurance to push through those negative thoughts. If they’re not doing well in school or can’t keep up with the people in an extracurricular activity, they’ll probably start to doubt themselves.
Encouraging parents can really help. These people are their children's biggest cheerleaders, and it gives their kids the confidence to keep trying. Their parents also celebrate their accomplishments whenever they finally succeed. It makes them feel supported by their parents rather than feeling inadequate. When people grow up that way, they'll typically want to avoid things that remind them of that time. They won’t develop a close friendship with their parents like kids who grew up with parents who constantly encouraged them do.
8. They are reliable
Unreliable parents don’t show up for the crucial moments in their kids' lives. Those moments can really bond a parent and child, though. By missing those experiences, they also miss out on developing a friendship with their kid.
In adulthood, their children still won't feel they can rely on them, so they stop calling. They don’t trust them to pick up, so they won't keep in contact with their parents as much as kids who grew up with reliable parents do.
Kids who have faith their parents will answer and show up keep reaching out. They didn’t face the rejection kids with unreliable parents did. They’ll have positive memories from their childhood, from the big moments they experienced with their parents, and continue to bond as adults because of that.
Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.
