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Wondering how to bond with your child? Here’s the random and weird thing that worked for me during a car ride one day: I slowly filled my mouth with water from the bottle and when she wasn’t paying attention, I expertly spewed a thin stream right at my daughter’s earlobe. First came shock. Then a vengeful glint in her eye told me to expect to get wet.

We were on a long drive from our remote town to the big city and it had been quiet for too long. We had a 30-second water fight in the car that resulted in the kind of laughter that made our stomachs hurt. After that, she talked and talked as she shared her heart. The playfulness had opened her up and brought us closer. I learned that there’s no secret to how to bond with your child and it doesn’t take much to connect—even five seconds can do the trick. Here are 21 five-second connection moments you can have with your kids.

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