How to Get Your Parents' Trust Back
Talk to your parents., Listen to your parents., Apologize for violating their trust., Ask your parents what you can do to regain their trust., Trust your parents.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Talk to your parents.
Tell your parents how you feel.
It is possible that your perception of their feelings about your actions is not the same as their actual feelings about your actions.
Be proactive and ask them to sit down and talk with you, possibly in a neutral space free of (electronic and other) distractions such as a neighborhood park. -
Step 2: Listen to your parents.
To really have meaningful communication, you need to both talk and listen.Try to put yourself in your parents’ shoes and really understand what they are saying as they talk to you.
If they say something that confuses or offends you, ask them about it.
Once the lines of communication are open, you and your parents can start rebuilding your trust relationship. , A sincere apology can go a long way to making your parents trust you again.
The best apology acknowledges your wrongdoing, restates what happened clearly, acknowledges the nature of the hurt or harm done, asks for forgiveness, and proposes a means of avoiding the error in the future.Try not to expect anything in return.
Though it would be nice if the apology immediately fixed everything, that is unlikely to happen.
It’s possible that your parents may not know the best way to respond to your apology.
The words you use are less important than speaking genuinely.
Another part of apologizing is forgiving yourself. , The most obvious way to figure out how to get your parents’ trust back is simply to ask them what you can do.
They may not have an answer ready, but tell them that they can think about it and let you know at a later time.
Be honest in your response to their request.
If they seem to have an unreasonably long list of things for you to do, tell them (without whining) that you think you would have trouble being successful at meeting their expectations.
Offer a compromise instead. , Trust builds trust, and trusting them will help encourage them to trust you.
In fact, you may find that you do not feel like you trust them right now; it is normal to feel that way.
Trust is a two-way relationship, not a one-way feeling, so you will need to work on trust on your end as well. -
Step 3: Apologize for violating their trust.
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Step 4: Ask your parents what you can do to regain their trust.
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Step 5: Trust your parents.
Detailed Guide
Tell your parents how you feel.
It is possible that your perception of their feelings about your actions is not the same as their actual feelings about your actions.
Be proactive and ask them to sit down and talk with you, possibly in a neutral space free of (electronic and other) distractions such as a neighborhood park.
To really have meaningful communication, you need to both talk and listen.Try to put yourself in your parents’ shoes and really understand what they are saying as they talk to you.
If they say something that confuses or offends you, ask them about it.
Once the lines of communication are open, you and your parents can start rebuilding your trust relationship. , A sincere apology can go a long way to making your parents trust you again.
The best apology acknowledges your wrongdoing, restates what happened clearly, acknowledges the nature of the hurt or harm done, asks for forgiveness, and proposes a means of avoiding the error in the future.Try not to expect anything in return.
Though it would be nice if the apology immediately fixed everything, that is unlikely to happen.
It’s possible that your parents may not know the best way to respond to your apology.
The words you use are less important than speaking genuinely.
Another part of apologizing is forgiving yourself. , The most obvious way to figure out how to get your parents’ trust back is simply to ask them what you can do.
They may not have an answer ready, but tell them that they can think about it and let you know at a later time.
Be honest in your response to their request.
If they seem to have an unreasonably long list of things for you to do, tell them (without whining) that you think you would have trouble being successful at meeting their expectations.
Offer a compromise instead. , Trust builds trust, and trusting them will help encourage them to trust you.
In fact, you may find that you do not feel like you trust them right now; it is normal to feel that way.
Trust is a two-way relationship, not a one-way feeling, so you will need to work on trust on your end as well.
About the Author
Raymond Peterson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical lifestyle knowledge.
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