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With the Kids in Mind: How Your Actions and Behavior Influence Your Children

You may not realize how much your kids are picking up from your behavior every time they are around you. What you say does matter, but it’s your actions that speak the loudest. There are so many ways your behavior influences your children for better or worse. Here are some key aspects to keep in mind when raising children.

Eating Habits

What you eat and your overall attitude towards food can make a huge difference in your child’s life. Choosing healthy foods and putting the focus on being strong and well teaches kids that food is fuel. Constantly trying new fad diets and obsessing about the number on the scale teaches kids the wrong message about food. Fill your plate with foods you want your kids to also eat. Set the example and talk about why your family chooses to eat what they do. Keep conversations about food positive, and focus on anytime foods versus sometimes foods. It’s fine to have a cookie as long as kids understand it’s not an anytime food.

Everyday Habits

You set an example daily for your child, whether you realize it or not. Your kids are definitely paying attention to your driving habits, so it’s important to model good driving behaviour, especially when your teen is learning to drive. Don’t use your phone while in the driver’s seat. Make sure to also follow the rules of the road so your child won’t think it’s okay to run stop signs or drive over the speed limit. How you treat other people is also something your kids will pick up on daily. It’s important to be kind and to exercise self-control even when a situation is difficult. Kids are great at recognizing hypocritical behavior, so be authentic and real no matter where you are or who you’re interacting with at the time. Your kids will learn from you how to do this and why it is important.

Environmental Responsibility

It’s more important than ever for everyone to take responsibility and protect the environment. Raise environmentally conscious kids by setting an example in your life with them. Teach your kids the importance of recycling and what items they can and cannot recycle. Show them how to reuse items they might otherwise throw out instead of just buying more. More than anything, teach your kids to reduce. This means making sure they see you differentiate between wants and needs. Living simply when raising your children shows them how to do it and what the benefits are. Bring reusable bags to the store when shopping, and carry a reusable water bottle to teach your kids the importance of not buying plastic all the time. These habits will become easy for kids if they are raised watching and understanding the benefits to the planet.

Kids hear your words, but they pay much more attention to your behavior. Set a good example by living a life that you want your kids to emulate so that they can build good habits.

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