There are many areas in life that we take for granted. We assume that where we are is simply where we will always be. And, while we hope that our children wind up better off than we were, we forget that our actions today are what encourage and influence them throughout their life. As a parent, you have the power to model behaviors that give the next generation the power to do more and be more. Today we are going to share with you How To Raise Healthy Children / How To Raise Good Children.
How you live today shapes your children’s futures.
Here’s how you can help children grow up healthy, happy, and whole.
Do As I Do
Before we get into ways that you can model healthy behaviors for your kids, it’s important to note that the old, “do as I say, not as I do” method of parenting doesn’t work.
Your children are hard-wired to mimic the behaviors of the adults around them. As you evaluate your own behaviors, you may notice that your children behave as you do.
As such, you must alter negative habits so that your children have a role model instead of just a roll call of expectations.
What You Can Do
As you look at your behaviors, think about things that you do that you wish you didn’t or that you haven’t done that you wish you did. And, then, think of ways that you can change your habits surrounding them. A few examples:
- You did not follow your dreams. We all grow up thinking we are going to be a doctor, astronaut, or the President, but lose sight of these ambitions by high school, where we then determine a more realistic goal that aligns with our passion. Unfortunately, these are often pushed aside early in adulthood as we begin to focus on making money and raising our family. If you didn’t live out your dream, now’s a great time to plan to go back to school to work in your desired field.
- You don’t take time for yourself. According to Parent 4 Success, failure to recharge your own batteries is one of the worst mistakes that you can make as a parent. When your kids see you overexerting yourself, constantly running from work to school activities to cleaning the house, they begin to expect that they must do the same.
- Make a point to pull away from your responsibilities occasionally, even if it just means a night out with friends or a weekend away all by yourself.
Other Healthy Habits to Instill Early On
The above are just two examples, but there are literally hundreds of different ways you can exhibit positive behaviors for your children.
Other ways you can do so are to:
Eat healthy foods every day. This means limiting sugar and alcohol and skipping the drive-through.
If you’re prone to overeating, use smaller plate sizes and drink lots of water to help curb your appetite.
- Don’t smoke. Want to live longer? Don’t smoke. Want to enjoy chasing your grandchildren around? Don’t smoke. Want healthy teeth and gums? Don’t smoke.
- Get enough sleep. Sleeping is when your proverbial batteries recharge; you need approximately eight hours of sleep each night, while children may need as much as 13.
- Encourage diversity. Children who routinely spend time with people outside of their religion, race, or social-economic class are more accepting of others and have a valuable opportunity to learn from and experience things with people they may not otherwise encounter.
Instilling healthy habits at an early age is important to kick start lifelong health patterns in children.
This is an important step in exploring the intersection of child development, cardiovascular health promotion of a child, and primordial prevention.
Parents Should Adopt Healthy Habits
It’s very difficult to change our habits during our adulthood. Therefore, as parents, it is our duty that we should teach our children the best habits and practices.
Healthy positive habits will play a significant role in improving your child’s future.
Parents should teach their children healthy habits at an early age. We know that adopting healthy habits is not easy, but your child and your own body will thank you for it.
If parents have healthy habits and parents work hard to pass them on to their child, they’ll have a higher likelihood of carrying those ideals into adulthood.
You can use these quick lists of ways to instill healthy habits.
- Parents should prepare meals before work so you aren’t tempted to pick up fast food on the way home
- Reading books to your child can boost your relationship with your children and a child with a passion for reading books will explore more
- Parents should take time to play outside with your child daily
- You should stock the fridge with bottled water, not soda
- Learning time management is an essential aspect that’ll help a child flourish in a competitive world and handling tasks on time will boost their health and improve productivity
- It’s extremely important for children to learn personal hygiene and what it means to be clean early in their lives
- Sign child up for a physical activity or a sport like boy or girl scouts etc
Conclusion
There are so many important healthy habits to instill in your children, including honesty, caring for each other, respect for each other, personal hygiene, and responsibility.
As we all know children with good habits will play a vital role in community growth and development.
One looks at your children, and you will see that they will do what you do. Live a healthy life, and they will too.
Make positive choices, and your children will have an example by which to live. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and learned a few tips on How To Raise Healthy Children / How To Raise Good Children.
Every day is an opportunity to showcase healthy behaviors, and the above examples can get you started.
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