Model the Behavior You Wish to See in Your Children

As parents, we wear many hats. One of our most important roles in parenthood is being the teacher of all things to our children. We want what’s best for them, and we want them to succeed. Our children need us to not only be great parents, but to also be great teachers. One of the best ways to teach our children, especially when it comes to behavior, is to be a consistent, persistent, and positive role-models. Sometimes I feel like a broken record saying the same thing over and over again. “Aren’t you going to say Please?” “What do you say? Thank you?”  Do you say please and thank you often to other adults in front of your kids? Be mindful of your own behavior because the kids are watching listening, and at some point (even if it’s after 1,000 tries), if we are consistent with our behavior, our children are likely to copy it and eventually understand it. I am sure most, if not all of you have probably experienced a time when your kids copied a behavior or said something they had heard you say that you never intended for them to learn! Amazing how they learn the bad behaviors so quickly!  We really did not want to teach our kids “those” words, but somehow, they heard it and they repeated it, probably not knowing what it meant.nnModel the behavior you wish to see in your children. This also applies to learning about health and developing healthy habits. Small children learn quickly that they need to wash their hands and brush their teeth. It’s something we do everyday, multiple times a day.  But what about exercising or eating healthy? These are behaviors our kids learn from us too.  We have been spending time outdoors hiking, running, and biking with our kids since they were small. There were times that they did not want to go out with us and complained, screamed, and threw fits. Now, they are starting to hike/walk on their own, at least for a short part of the hike. They are learning to enjoy it and part of that learning is that this is just what we do on the weekend, spend time together outside, playing! A great way to teach our kids about exercise is to make it fun and make it part of play time!nnWhen it’s meal time or snack time, do you eat pizza and a doughnut and give your child broccoli and carrots? It’s great if the whole family can all eat the same food, but sometimes with food allergies, that might be hard to accommodate. Eat what you want your kids to eat. When they watch what you eat, and you are consistently eating healthy, they take notice and learn that this is how we are supposed to eat. Deserts and treats are saved for holidays and special occasions.  That makes them even more special and more appreciated, and even more enjoyable, especially when they are shared together in celebration.nnRecognize the good behavior. When your child does something positive and copies your positive behavior, try to recognize and even thank them for what they did. “You did such a great job hiking today. You went down the steep decline without slipping, and you helped your sister. What a great big brother and outdoor adventurer you are!” or “What you did made me very angry, but thank you for saying you are sorry.” This can help boost your child’s confidence and he is likely to continue the positive behavior.  It also helps them begin to understand and connect to why healthy behaviors are good for them and others.