What were your bonding activities with your parents growing up?

[Anonymous]

My mom was around all the time. We didn't have specific bonding activities - we were just always together and pretty bonded.

My dad traveled ALL the time. Like, home maybe 2 days a month (hence how much time mom and i spent together). A couple times a year from probably age 8-13, dad would take me to the pub for a long lunch on a weekend. Usually bring one of his guy friends, and dad and the friend would have a few beers and we'd just hang for a couple hours. It was always fun and felt different. In hindsight, clearly my mom had told my dad "you have not seen or spoken to your daughter in a month, and i haven't been alone in months, so find something to do with her this weekend". But it was still fun. And once every summer he would typically take me to a movie just the two of us - that's where i saw Indian Jones and the Last Crusade and James Bond the Living Daylights. Clearly left a pretty strong impression on me if i remember 35 years later exactly what we saw.

[Anonymous]

Honestly we just did normal life. We didn't expect much and yet it was enough.

[Anonymous]

With my mother it was cooking, baking and interior design. With my daughter it is cooking and spiritual principals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. My parents did nothing with us.

Haha. I love that answer. Same here. My parents didn’t even do anything together, lol.

[Anonymous]

With my dad, it was crossword puzzles. He would fill out exactly half of a puzzle and leave the rest for me each morning. We learned to make puzzles and got one published in the NYT during the lockdown, so this was a pretty lasting connection!

My mom & I sat together and did craft projects (sewing/ knitting). But at this point, Parkinson’s and arthritis have pretty much killed those things for her

My own son doesn’t like puzzles, games, or crafts, which I’m a little sad about. We do dinner together every night and go on a family walk maybe once a month. Each of us takes him on a 1:1 trip each year.

[Anonymous]

We went hiking almost every weekend as a family.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t really do special things together, just life.

[Anonymous]

The library with my mom. I was allowed to get 10 books every other week. I exerts both readers.
My parents, especially my mom, loved games (I still do). Boggle and card games like gin rummy, crazy 8’s, could play for hours.

[Anonymous]

My parents raised me in the 70s and 80s there were no "bonding" activities. I was an only child who was expected to go along to their activities and was then sent to some on my own. They liked going to art galleries on the weekends, and to see Woody Allen movies at small movie theaters, so that's what we did!

[Anonymous]

We listen to broadway soundtracks and went to see shows together. Also watched a lot of Seinfeld together.

[Anonymous]

Very little. Maybe shopping as a bonding activity but it was wrapped around errands or an agenda like Back to School clothes shopping or buying a prom dress.

I now have 2 DD, 7 years apart. When first DD was very little, we’d bond over having sleepovers when DH traveled, which was very often. So, we’d style each other’s hair, eat popcorn or whatever else we wanted while we watched cartoons or old movies. Younger DD loves thrift store shopping with me and we still do sleepovers.

Never discount bonding and conversations when shuttling DC around. Let me add just casual chats during drives to/from school. We never drive in silence!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up, as a tween/teen, I remember Thursday nights were spent at the mall with my mom. We’d have a snack and she would buy me a new article of clothing for the weekend. We did this probably every week. In the summer, we would take long bike rides almost every day and talk.

My mom is getting older and I had a dream last night that I was a kid again doing these things with her.

I can’t seem to find anything to bond with my tween daughter. She’s not interested in spending much time with me, even doing things she’d like to do. I want to connect before I lose her. Looking for inspiration.

Living with my mom was a perpetual bonding, we lucked out in that regard.

[Anonymous]

We talked while folding laundry in the laundry mat since we didn't have a washer/dryer at home. Single working mom--not much time for other stuff. We are very close today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Growing up, as a tween/teen, I remember Thursday nights were spent at the mall with my mom. We’d have a snack and she would buy me a new article of clothing for the weekend. We did this probably every week. In the summer, we would take long bike rides almost every day and talk.

My mom is getting older and I had a dream last night that I was a kid again doing these things with her.

I can’t seem to find anything to bond with my tween daughter. She’s not interested in spending much time with me, even doing things she’d like to do. I want to connect before I lose her. Looking for inspiration.

Take her to antique malls, farm markets, arboretum, zoo, spa, arcade, cooking lesson, escape room,concerts,political rallies, painting activities, mini golf etc.

[Anonymous]

Really fun vacations.

Family movie + pizza night every Friday (although we'd sometimes switch out pizza for something else on occassion). Ate pizza on a blanket in the living room watching movie together.

Every spring, we plant the garden together. Loved seeing our hardwork come to fruition (event hough I'd have to wait for months to see it bloom).