5 Ways to Strengthen Father-and-Son Relationship

I have been meaning to write about my two boys. The big one (daddy) is without a doubt a hands-on dad but the little one tend to cling to me more because I am the one who is with him almost all the time. In my desire to strengthen their bond, I do my best to come up with ideas for them to enjoy time together.

Here's the list of my fool-proof ideas on how to strengthen father-and-son bond: (It really works most especially if you have a workaholic dad in the house who spend most of his time working.)

1. Let them bathe together.
Thanks to my recent minor surgery, the hubby was obliged to bathe the little boy. They end up having so much fun together while in the shower. The hubby now looks forward to bathing with his son on weekends.

2. Let daddy put the boy to sleep.
Before my surgery, the boy never wanted to sleep beside his dad so I always end up putting him to sleep while daddy snores away. Again, thanks to my surgery the hubby and the little boy was forced to sleep together. Nowadays, I seldom get to sleep in spoon position with my little one anymore because he now prefers to sleep on daddy's tummy.

3. Let them go in the playground together and play toys for the big boys.
Boys will be boys. They love playing remote controlled cars and the likes so on weekend mornings, while my girl and I try to catch up on some sleep, I encourage the hubby to bring his son to the playground to either play basketball or chase remote controlled toy cars. They always come back soaked in sweat but extremely happy.

4. Let daddy do the dirty thing.
Because I have a very strong gag reflex, I always let the hubby wash the little boy's bottom after pooping. We are also on never-ending potty training so I get the hubby to accompany the boy to the toilet to pee most of the time. Sometimes I hear them giggle as they pee at the same time.

5. Let them go on a boys' date together.
I will let them do this when the boy grows a little older. It will be a boy's version of my little dates with my girl. For now, what I normally do is I leave my two boys in the room with books so they will read together and sing nursery rhymes together while I take my own sweet time in the shower. The idea is basically giving them time to bond with mommy out of sight.

All of the above really works. The boy doesn't cling to me as much as he used to anymore. Although I am a little heartbroken, I am happy that the father-and-son relationship has become stronger. My consolation? I am still the apple of the eyes of my little one. I guess, mommies will always be the kids' most favourite person in the world so don't be afraid to let them bond with their dads more.

Do you have other ideas how to strengthen father-and-son bond? Please feel free to share in the comment box.