As moms, keeping your kids healthy is our top priority. And as they get older, habits continue to form. From the time they are born, well, even before that, we do all we can to provide the best health and habits we can. It’s important to make good health a life long habit. Good health for your children encompasses a vast array of topics…
Honest talks about the body
The body…from the time they are little they have questions and curiosity about it. It’s important to establish a good rapport at an early age with your kids regarding the body. Girls and boys both need healthy body image role models. Don’t disparage yourself in front of them; even if you think your thighs are too fat, keep it to yourself. Teach them everyone is made differently and to love what they have.
It’s also important to establish a good dialogue regarding relationships, sex and sexuality. This begins early, from the first they inquire about anatomy or where babies come from to talking about buying condoms or sexual relationships. It’s tough sometimes to get beyond the discomfort, but it will do wonders to have these conversations with your kids.
Regular Healthcare
No kid, regardless of age (adults for that matter, too) likes going to the doctor. But we have to. They have to. It’s important from birth to keep and follow up on doctor’s appointments. By instilling that they go to the doctor and dentist regularly, they’ll be morel likely to carry this on to adulthood. It’s also good for them to see you going to annual check ups, mammograms and any other doctor or dentist appointments you have. If your child has specialists that they see, make sure you are consistent there, too.
Also, by going to the doctor for a check up when there isn’t anything wrong, they are more comfortable to go when something is wrong. It’s nice to establish a relationship with a pediatrician who will be there for you and your child as he or she grows into adulthood.
Healthy Media
Your diet just doesn’t consist of the food you eat, but what else you intake as well, like media. Feeding your kids a healthy media diet establishes those lifelong habits, too. Here are a few tips for kids and media…
- Use media together. That means, watch, play, and listen. When your child asks you to watch a YouTube video on cats or One Direction- watch it. Be interested in what your kids watch or else they’ll stop sharing, and who knows what they’ll be watching. This opens up discussion as well; who knows where the conversations can take you.
- Keep an eye on the time. Too much media isn’t good for everyone. Let your child choose the media format, but keep to a time limit. Let them know in advance so you’re not just cutting it off out of the blue.
- When it’s time to put it away, put it away. That goes for you, too. Maybe you have a no electronics rule at dinner or you turn everything off at 9:00. Establish some rules and stick to them. Again, this sets the tone for lifelong healthy habits.
Diet and Exercise
Some kids are picky, they just are. But by offering a variety of healthy foods, you’ll set that lifelong good habit. You don’t have to ban sugar, just watch the intake and keep it low. That goes for other unhealthy foods, too; modification is key. Send healthy, colorful lunches to school and have snacks easy to access at home. Grabbing a bag of prepped raw veggies from the refrigerator is as easy as grabbing a bag of chips from the pantry.
Exercise together. Go for walks, to the park, on a hike. Encourage your kids to play outside with friends or join a sports team. Take your kids to your Sunday yoga class. There’s so much to do, inside or out. And when kids see you exercising, they may jump right in with you.
Habits can last a lifetime. That’s the reason you want them to be healthy ones, whether it’s regarding sex, exercise or doctor’s appointments. So many things start at a young age, healthy habits are one of them.
Image Source: http://www.mainplaceyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/et_temp/happyfamily3-84229_462x306.jpg