Parenting By Example By Solomon Brenner At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Both the things you do and the things your children do will affect the kind of adults that they turn out to be. Every negative thing they do now will eventually catch up with them.

For example, as children get older they are pressured to try things like smoking. Children are too short-sighted to see how smoking affects them. Since they can not see their lungs blackening, since they do not presently have shortness of breath or smokers’ cough, they do not acknowledge these negative effects. They fail to see the dangers of smoking because they are only concerned with the present and are not thinking about how their actions will have consequences in the future.

As a parent, it is your job to teach them that each of their actions has consequences. Talk to your children not only about the dangers of smoking, drugs and alcohol, but also about good decision making. Ask them where they are going, with whom and how long they will be gone. Your kids may not appreciate this now, but they will see how your nagging pays off when they are older.

The people your children spend time with can have just as big of an influence on them as how they are spending their time. Falling in with the wrong crowd can lead them to very destructive lives. The pressure to fit in or be included may cause your child to see them as friends, but parents have an unbiased view and are better judges of character.

Another aspect of teaching good decision making is leading by example. If you tell your children it is bad to smoke but smoke yourself, what kind of message are you sending? If you want your children to lead a healthy life, the time to quit is now. Similarly, if you teach your children good eating and exercise habits, they will grow into strong, healthy adults, but you have to hold up your end of the deal, too.

Children, especially very young children, tend to idolize mom and dad. How often have you heard children saying they want to be just like mom or dad when they grow up? Parents need to set good examples because their children tend to follow in their footsteps.

No one is perfect, and parents are no exception. Being a good parent isn’t about being perfect; it’s about living the best life you can not only for your children, but for yourself. Taking care of yourself is important so that you will be around for your children for years to come.

In the same way that smoking can lead to using an oxygen tank in 25 years, giving your children a healthy, loving and stable environment to grow up in can lead to a lifetime of success. Every parent only wants the best for their children, but the best doesn’t come naturally. Parent and child must work to be the best person they can be.

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