The most important thing to remember about mother daughter relationships is to listen. This can be said a million times and it will not be enough; listen, listen, listen! Most problems with the mother daughter relationship start with a breakdown in communication. Sometimes, the daughter is headstrong and will not listen to her mother’s sage advice. Other times, the mother is a little bit too controlling and will not give the daughter room to breathe. More often than not, there is a little bit of both aspects going wrong when mother daughter relationships break down. Whatever it is, listening can only make it better.
Most successful mother daughter relationships are based on shared rituals. Mothers and daughters have to have something they enjoy doing together or else their relationships will not be productive. It can be anything. Many successful mother daughter relationships are built on knitting circles. By taking the time to knit together and discuss events in the world around them, mothers and daughters can really share a bond. If conversation become strained, there is always the knitting to get to. This takes some of the pressure off of the participants.
Often, mother and daughter relationships are most strengthened when things get tough. No matter how often families fight, they tend to stick up for each other when situations go wrong. This is as true between mothers and daughters as between any other family members. Do not be afraid to let adversity strengthen your resolve as a family. Allow yourself to see how much you care about each other and how much the other person shines through and you shine through for them. Do not make a big deal out of it, but don’t let it go past unnoticed either. Relationships are lifelong works in progress, and they are built out of little events that bring people closer to each other.