new delhi a piggyback can go a long way you dont really have to move heaven and earth for your kids a couple of hours of undivided attention can help you bond effectively counsellors dealing with families say parents who want their children to take interest and be involved in the affairs of the family should start the process of connecting early make them feel wanted ensure they know their companys valued or kids growing faster now will soon look outside the family for entertainment and companionship whatever effort is made towards engaging the children must be started from day one as deepak gupta psychiatrist centre for child and adolescent wellbeing puts it making the communication of feelings and experiences among family members a daily exercise is essential as it conditions the child to sharing doubleincome parents with limited free time at their disposal have to work on it that much harder an expensive gadget wont make up for missing a parentteacher meeting psychiatrist jitendra nagpal also advises against permissive parenting the practice of routinely giving in to the demands of children parents give too easily too much and too frequently the problem with that is boredom sets in very fast he explains and kids arent always happy with that either one teen nagpal counselled told him ive got everything from my parents except themselves giving gifts only helps deliver the message that happiness comes from material things parents try to connect when kids are growing up but by then they are already looking outside for emotional support says counsellor gitanjali sharma if parents leave others to sit the kids while they themselves unwind on weekends kids will get the message and make their own plans on weekends you cant really blame them for her as well as gupta one meal together in a day with no tv or phone to distract is essential for a family the dinner table is an ideal setting for discussions discuss what you see on tv instead of closing your eyes conversations with teens and adolescents will clear their doubts says gupta so will telling stories about your own adolescence kids are always bay what mom and dad did says nagpal but theres little time given to this at a workshop nagpal had asked the attending kids how many of them eat with their parents only about 40 of the participants said they had at least one meal in a day with parents kids as it happens dont need much time as long as what they get is meaningfully spent it may come as a surprise but nagpal says children are more understanding than most give them credit for being there are families in which parents are not staying together or one is away for long periods like army families but the parent should be able to bond with the child even for the half an hour they have together says nagpal give younger children piggybacks once in a