7 Meaningful Ways to Build an Unbreakable Mother-Daughter Relationship

The mother-daughter connection is like none other. It’s an intense, special bond that is instrumental in the lives of both. Sadly, it can also be complex, challenging, and even toxic. A dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship can adversely affect both parties for the rest of their lives.

If you're struggling to reap a fulfilling bond with your daughter, here are some loving ways to connect and stay strong.

Remember to have a great relationship with yourself

When you're trying to improve your connection with other people, it’s easy to focus on the negative behaviors and habits of the person you seek to change. Have you noticed that when you’re in conflict with someone you automatically analyze their shortcomings and annoying habits? There’s no way you’d snap your gum as loudly as that know-it-all PTA mom, right?

If you want to connect with people wholeheartedly, you need to accept yourself wholeheartedly first. And that's especially true if you want to build a better relationship with your daughter.

If you want to connect with people wholeheartedly, you need to accept yourself wholeheartedly first.

Before you attempt to repair or strengthen your mother-daughter relationship, do some soul-searching. Honestly assess how you feel about yourself. What are your goals and values? How’s your self-esteem and self-care? Do you take time to nurture your own mind, body, and soul?

As busy mothers, we can easily forget our own needs. That can lead to feelings of resentment and negativity. PsychCentral’s article How to Build a Healthy Relationship with Yourself Every Day offers some helpful tips to cultivate a loving sense of self. Personal life coach Stephanie Kang recommends tuning in to our inner chatter as a way to stay true to ourselves.

Starting to notice this is a great first step because it is often so unconscious. ... Once we become more aware of how we relate to ourselves, we can reflect on what effect it’s having, and how we want to change.

Stephanie Kang

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Encourage and develop your daughter’s emotional education

The first step toward strengthening your child’s ability to manage strong relationship emotions is to teach her to identify and understand them. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify...

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