7 Proven Tips for Strengthening Your Mother-Daughter Bond

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A mother-daughter relationship is precious. But, the bond may appear unbeatable at first, sometimes it can eventually deteriorate to the point where the presence of each other becomes uncomfortable. 

But, it is not all doom and gloom! Maintaining a healthy relationship between a mother and daughter is possible, even if you are going through a difficult time. 

All it requires is some behavior modification and serious reflection. Here are 7 proven tips to strengthen your bond with your mother or daughter (or both!). Let’s get started!

1. Set Realistic Expectations for Your Mother-Daughter Bond

In a dreamy world, we would all have healthy and strong relationships with everyone in our lives, including our mothers and daughters. 

But the thing is, our real world is not perfect. Some mother-daughter bonds are just like the best friends, while others are merely able to tolerate each other.

So if you really want to improve your relationship with your daughter (or mother), be realistic about it. Maybe you are not meant to be best friends, but that’s okay. 

What can really cause serious problems, is that you hope up for something that’s never going to happen.

2. Find Common Interests 

There is no greater love than a mother's love for daughter. Find activities that you both enjoy and do them together, it could be sopping, getting manicures, or traveling. 

Source: Jan Safal Life

Spending quality time with your daughter (or mother) should never feel like work and an easy way to ensure that is by spending that time together doing something you both enjoy. 

In case, you don’t have any interests in common, try doing things that are new for both of you. Who knows, maybe you’ll both start enjoying it immediately.

3. Respect and Don’t judge Other’s Opinions 

As a mother or a daughter, you may often be similar in many ways, but you have to remember that you both were raised in different eras and have lived different lives. 

So if you want to strengthen your mother-daughter bond, you will have to understand that it is totally fine, if you and your mother have different ideas about careers, relationships, and parenting.

It’s also important to identify the areas where neither of you is likely to change your mind and agree to respect the other’s opinion without any judgment. 

4. Learn to Forgive

Whether you are a mother or a daughter hanging on to feelings of resentment is bad for you. There are a few studies that have shown that holding grudges increases blood pressure, heart rate, and nervous system activity. 

Alternatively, embracing forgiveness can reduce stress levels and improve overall health. Aside from physical health, letting go can improve one’s mental health, relationships, and career trajectory as well. 

Resenting your mother for judging your relationship with your spouse could manifest in you yelling at your own kids at the drop of a hat.

5. Work on Your Communication

No matter what relationship we are talking about, communication is a major key. Neither you nor your daughter or mother are mind readers. 

Being open about how you are feeling with each other is a surefire way to avoid that minor issue that becomes a major issue because you didn’t nip it in the bud soon enough.

6. Set and Maintain Boundaries

According to mother-daughter bond psychology, the mother-daughter relationship is one of the most profound and dynamic bonds in human society. 

Source: BuzzFeed

And to strengthen your bond, it is crucial that you both set some boundaries. Boundaries are like building blocks of any healthy relationship, so enforcing them with family is the key to maintaining a healthy distance while still being a part of each other’s lives. 

They also allow you to call the shots, so you can avoid any unwanted outbursts or eye rolls at the dinner table. 

The boundaries can be anything, for example, if you can’t stand watching your daughter spend hours scrolling through social media, request a no-phone policy after dinner. 

Setting and maintaining a fair boundary means you’ll still be able to be a part of each other’s lives, but only in settings that you both mutually accept.

7. Listen to What Other has to Say 

The daughter's love for her mother is endless, but as a mother, if you never listen to what your daughter has to say, the love is not going to last forever. 

Listening to your daughter or mother can work like magic to boost your mother-daughter bond. 

There is a trick for how to be a better listener. The trick is surprisingly simple. Before you give any response to your daughter, pause. That’s it. Really.

But why does this trick work? It stops you from accidentally interrupting whoever’s speaking. The slight pause is a natural cue that your daughter (or mother) can comfortably continue what they’re saying. 

In a way, it allows them to relax; without the pressure of trying to get a word in, they feel more compelled to share their thoughts.

The pause also gives you a chance to reconsider your own response. 

The Final Thoughts

It is not as difficult as you think to strengthen your mother-daughter bond. By simply setting some boundaries, prioritizing fun in your time spent together, truly listening to one another, and agreeing to disagree, you can build a stronger bond with your daughter (or mother). 

I hope these few simple ideas will support and strengthen your relationship and help you maintain your mother-daughter relationship.