Nothing at This Moment Is as Important as My Relationship with This Child
July 27, 2026
Principles taken from Child Parent Relationship Training by Sue Bratton and Garry Landreth
One very hot day in August, my three children and I attended an outdoor back-to-school event. We had just moved from Connecticut to a small town in the South and had not adjusted to the heat yet. My older two children were enrolled in a small private school where we hoped to make friends and, in general, fit in. I was having a pleasant conversation with another mother when my youngest child, then three, yelled out, “Mom! Look!” I turned to see him lying in the sand, beaming as he announced, “Look at me! I’m making sand angels!” Sand clung to every inch of his sweaty little body.
I remember feeling embarrassment that the other parents were watching me, surprised that he would even think of that, and frustration that I would never get the sand out of my van. Honestly, I think I was more concerned about my image rather than my child.
Those moments are tricky!
It never feels great to be judged by onlookers, but your relationship with your child matters more. Kids say and do the unexpected, but your relationship with your child matters more. Parenting is exhausting, but your relationship with your child matters more.
In the moments you feel tension building, remember to preserve the relationship.
Unfortunately, in my sand angel moment, I did not respond that way. I likely muttered a few harsh words under my breath, focused more on the mess and the watching parents than on my child. If I could do it over, I would pause, laugh, and encourage my child who had a knack for out-of-the-box thinking. Nothing in that moment was as important as protecting my relationship with him.
