Study after study has shown that children learn from their environment. That’s why as a parent it’s important to lead by example, to ensure that your little ones grow up to be healthy, happy and well-rounded adults. When it comes to raising kids, most of us moms focus on teaching our little ones to be kind, honest, loving, and friendly, by making sure that we are all of those things.
However, one area that we so often fail to think about is how our health and happiness habits impact our children. A lot of parents presume that as long as we feed our kids healthy foods and encourage them to play outside as much as possible, they will learn the importance of looking after themselves. However, it’s not just a case of helping them to get into healthy habits, because as studies have shown, kids learn from their environment which means that you need to lead by example.
Leading by example means ensuring that you are as healthy and happy as can be so that your children see how you look after yourself and take note. If you want your little ones to grow up to be healthy adults, you need to make sure that they see you taking care of yourself. With that in mind, below are some tips and ideas for becoming a healthier and happier parent, so that you can set a good example for your children.
Tackle your unhealthy habits
Whatever your unhealthy habits are, you need to put an end to them before they rub off on your children. Because believe it or not, they will do.
Take smoking, for example, children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to smoke. This is because they see their parents doing it, and so think that it’s a good habit to get into. Or, at least, some children do anyway. Not only do children who come from homes where their parents smoke have a higher chance of becoming smokers themselves, but they are also more at risk of becoming unwell, both in childhood and in later life, due to the risks associated with secondhand smoking. Kids whose parents smoke are at higher risk of asthma and chest infections and in later life cancer and COPD. So if you are a smoker, now is the time to quit. If you can’t go cold turkey and quit completely, perhaps you could learn how to vape. Vaping is much better for your body than smoking is, and is also much better for those around you too, so it’s definitely worth considering swapping to it, instead of smoking.
Another example is drinking. There’s nothing wrong with having a glass of wine every so often or treating yourself to cider at a BBQ, but if your kids see your drinking and getting drunk on a regular basis it may have an unhealthy impact on them. Just like with smoking, if your children see you drinking a lot, they may think that it’s a normal habit and in later life may mimic your behavior. If you are going to drink in front of your children, make sure that you only drink small amounts and don’t get drunk in front of them. Yes, it’s fine to have a drink, but it’s not ideal to get drunk in front of your children or let them see you drinking a lot of alcohol on a regular basis. If you want to have a blowout, go out with the girls and have a drink away from your little ones.
Make healthy eating a part of daily life
It’s no secret that a lot of children don’t like eating their greens, in fact, many of them downright refuse. Although green foods, and other healthy foods for that matter, aren’t always that appealing to kids, you need to ensure that your children know the value of leading a healthy lifestyle.
One way to do that is to make sure that the food you serve each day, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is always wonderfully healthy. However, it’s important to remember to lead by example and make sure that healthy eating is also a part of your lifestyle. It’s okay to get a takeaway now and then, of course, it is, but takeaways shouldn’t become a regular part of family life. At least 95 percent of your meals should be healthy and homemade; this ensures that your family is healthy and also that your children understand that healthy eating should be a part of life. To make this easier for yourself, invest in a slow cooker – it will be a lifesaver!
When it comes to snacking, it’s a good idea to opt to eat healthy food over junk. If your children see you munching on biscuits as a snack, that’s what they will do. However, if they see you eating a banana as a mid-morning snack, the chances are they will also opt to eat fruit. The same goes for drinks – if your kids see you drinking sugar-packed fizzy drinks, they will want to drink them too. So aim to drink mainly water, to encourage your little ones to do the same. To make water a bit more interesting, infusing it with fruit or carbonating it with a Sodastream machine can work well.
Be more active
It’s all well and good encouraging your children to be more active, but you need to lead by example. If you are already active, then you can skip this section, if not it could be worth taking note, especially if you want to ensure that your kids understand just how important regular exercise is for their health.
Aim to exercise every day. In the mornings head out for an early morning jog, or in the evenings head to a yoga class. If your children see that you are active, they are more likely to take the time to be active too. To encourage the whole family to be more active, put up an exercise chart where everyone can fill in their daily exercise choices and times. This should encourage some healthy competition, with everyone trying to be more active than each other.
When it comes to making exercise something that everyone makes time to do, it’s important to make it fun. By teaching your kids that exercise can be fun, you can help to make sure that as they get older, they make the choice to make activity part of their lives. To make exercise fun, spend time as a family exercising. Go for bike rides. Take long walks and go Geocaching. Go swimming. Play sports with your children. Show your little ones that you enjoy being active and they will too.
Limit your screen time
When it comes to technology, we spend a lot of time using it. From watching TV to using our smartphones to browse social media, a lot of people spend at least two hours using technology a day, often more than that, and kids are no exception.
If your children see that you are constantly on your smartphone or spend all of your free time watching TV, they will do the same. So it’s important to limit your screen time as well as your children’s screen time, to show them that there’s more to life than TV, computer games, and apps. To make this easier to do, set time limits on all technological devices, from TVs to tablets, to make sure that no one in the family has too much screen time.
Instead of spending all of your time using technology, take up a hobby that is technology-free. This will show your children that you don’t have to use technology to have a nice time. Things like crocheting, knitting, adult coloring, and doing crosswords or Sudoku puzzles are ideal. There are plenty of hobbies to choose from, from collecting old coins to learning a new language, so get researching and find one that appeals to you. Perhaps you could get your kids involved in your new hobby and do it as a family?
As a parent, it’s natural to be busy, which can sometimes mean taking shortcuts such as getting takeaway for dinner and spending your free time passed out in front of the TV. However, if you want to ensure that you are setting a good example for your children, and are showing them what they need to do to lead happy and healthy lives, you need to make sure that you are leading by example. For instance, you can’t tell your children that junk food is unhealthy and then munch it yourself, you need to set a good example. It may be hard at times, but if you want to make sure that your kids grow up to be adults who lead healthy lives, you need to be a responsible parent. This means no smoking, no drinking in excess – at least not in front of your little ones, and making sure that you lead a healthy life by being active and eating healthy foods.