Life always provides a framework or assigns a guide to help us be our best. Whitney Houston’s infamous song, “Greatest Love of All,” offers a framework for developing strong relationships with children. She sang:

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

In childhood, kids are expected to have some basic needs met.  Some of those needs include: food/water, shelter, clothing, protection, love. When needs are unmet, it opens the door to toxic relationships. Meeting basic needs helps with developing secure attachments with children. Home is the first classroom where a child learns. They observe how their parents/caregivers speak, behave, discipline, love, etc. Essentially, they have a front row seat to how the adults in their life execute parenthood. The combination of childhood and parenthood, impacts the journey to building relationships in adulthood. This episode offers strategies for developing healthy relationships with children. Since children are our future, we must get the task of loving them correct. Children are constantly observing adults: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, authority figures. Just like Whitney sang, we must teach them well and let them lead the way.