This can feel like a daunting task, especially if your child is young and you feel like you are constantly disciplining him, saying no, and simply too busy trying to keep him alive to make sure you are staying emotionally connected to him.

I recently sat down with author, podcaster, and speaker Lisa Qualls to discuss parent connectedness at every age and stage. As the mother of 12 children (Yes, you read that correctly.), eight biological and four adopted, Qualls knows a thing or two about parenting. As the co-author of The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment, which she wrote with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis, she was the perfect person to talk to about healthy attachments.

“Every healthy relationship is built on the foundation of trust and connection,” says Lisa. “I really try to keep the relationship and the connection at the heart of my interactions.” Lisa explains this can be done even when you are navigating your toddler’s terrible twos and threes. How? She offers three strategies.
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1. Stick to the script.

Lisa has developed a method of disciplining or talking to your child in a straightforward way using scripts rather than…