Being a good parent means helping your kids acquire healthy habits and helping them drop the bad ones. It doesn’t matter whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, there is always time for you to help and motivate your children to be better people by aiding them and setting an example.
However, with the sheer amount of pressure every parent experiences when trying to raise children, they might often feel helpless and desperate. Parents might not know what healthy habits are of the biggest priority for children and where the best place to start is.
This might be a bit overwhelming considering that the problems your children need help with vary greatly, from providing help with term paper writing to picking sports to practice. To help you along, we have created a list of things you definitely should teach your child regardless of their age.
Eat healthy food
This might be one of the most simple habits your child should be introduced to. By feeding them healthy products, you will increase their energy and promote better well-being.
However, as children tend to like unhealthy foods more, introducing them to this habit might not be the easiest task. So, make sure to be a good example for them because no matter what you teach them, if they see you eating pizza for dinner while they have to eat broccoli, it will only make them angry.
Some households are successful in getting their children to eat healthy by not introducing junk foods into their diet at all and letting children understand the benefits of healthy eating.
Also, it might be easier if you make eating healthy into a fun activity. An example would be creating pictures out of food. Check out bento boxes for inspiration.
See Also: Four Simple Ways to Teach Your Kids to Say “NO” to Junk Foods
Say no to gadgets
If you can’t keep your children from using their gadgets, at least limit the time and duration that they are used. For instance, you can ask them to spend up to twenty minutes a day watching their favorite cartoons.
On top of that, you can use this time as a reward for helping family members or for doing the homework. This way, you are hitting two birds with one stone.
Also, make sure you are a good example for them here as well. If you cannot spend even a few moments without your cell phone, your kids will surely pick up the same habits.
Quality family time
Spending quality family time is an investment for your children. Not only are you creating many happy memories for your children, you are also teaching them how precious the family is.
So, consider planning family trips or celebrating certain holidays only in the family circle and involve your children in making preparations.
Playing sports
Taking care of your health is vital. However, not all parents can be considered as role models for their kids in this area. Some parents are too stressed at work while some run away from exercise.
Show your children that taking care of one’s health is a priority. Get involved in some kind of sport with your kids and inculcate it as a habit.
Life values
It is from parents that we learn our values first. They teach us responsibility, accountability, and selflessness.
Therefore, if you want your child to grow up to be mature and grown-up, be the kind of person you want them to be. You are the first and the most important role model for them.
Being positive
Don’t be a negative person. Try to cheer your children up even when things are not going as well as you would want them to. You can always find a bright side and encourage your whole family.
By choosing a positive path, you will improve your children’s future. In comparison, being a negative person will definitely affect their own personalities and well-being.
Realistic goals
People often get frustrated after they fail to achieve goals they set. They feel like a failure, even though they are not.
Sometimes, failing is a byproduct of setting unrealistic goals. Therefore, to keep your children happy and going, teach them to set realistic goals and then to go on from there.
Teach them to break up their ambitions into doable tasks and challenges, all the while working towards their bigger dreams.
Saying “no”
Many people regret not having this habit. We cannot say “no” even when we know that we cannot fulfill what people ask us for. We tend to try and please everyone, and we mostly pick it up after our parents who either used to be like this or set huge expectations we could not meet. Thus, teach your children to say “no”, and they will be forever grateful to you.
Being a good friend
This habit is a key to a successful life. We never feel like a failure when we have friends who can help us get through life’s darkest moments. Therefore, teaching your children how to make genuine friends and what it means to be a good friend themselves is truly a blessing. First, be a good friend to your kids, and then encourage them making friends with kids of their age.
Honesty
And finally, we come to honesty. Teach your children how to be true to themselves, their friends, and to you. Help them understand that lying or pretending never works as a lie is always found out in the end. To be happy and satisfied, they have to be real and true to what they believe in.
If parents teach their children these simple yet powerful habits, parents will see a real miracle of how a small helpless child grows to be a healthy young person of great value.
See Also: 11 Ways Parents Can Help Children Do Better In School