Parent ing is truly the most challenging job that you will ever have. As parents we are also teachers who teach our children values and lessons that will help our kids to grow into successful and fully functional adults.
Get back to basics with some good old-fashioned parenting tips:
- Discipline your child- When your child breaks a rule, as every child will, you need to discipline them. You need to talk to your child and make them understand why their behavior is unacceptable and what the consequences of their actions entail. Don't yell at your child, don't hit your child.
- Give your child healthy foods- Get rid of the candy and soda pop and feed your kids as much healthy food as possible. Encourage healthy eating and nutritional choices by educating your child about the food intake pyramid and by stocking your kitchen with healthy choices for snacking and eating.
- Exercise- Teach your children early on the benefits of exercise and physical activity. While it may be difficult to get your child jogging or doing step aerobics, it makes more sense for kids to exercise through play. Send your kids outside to play on good weather days and find lots of other active playmates for them to run around with.
- Play with them- It is always good to show your child that you care. One way to show this is by actually playing with them. A simple game of hide and seek or tag will do the trick to show that you love your child. By turning physical activity into a game, your child will learn to love to exercise and be active.
- Be the role model- Be the change you want to see in your child. Make sure that your child has lots of opportunity to see you exercise and to have healthy physical activity.
- Talk to your kids- Talk to your kids about everything. Encourage your children to open up to you about how they feel and what is going on in their lives. Share your thoughts with your children as well in an open and informal forum designed to keep the communication flowly freely.
While it all sounds simple in a list, parenting is a lot of hard work. Keep at it, seek out advice and look to other parents and children for ideas about how you can constantly improve your parenting skills.
