Are Parents Powerful Role Models For Their Kids?
YES! Parents are the most powerful role models their children will ever have!
Being a parent gives you the power to guide, control, influence, teach or supervise your kids.
But use this power sensibly and to the BENEFIT of your kids. This power has been given to us by the universe, the creator, the supreme being.
Love for love
If you show the love you will get love.
You show hate you get hate.
Show indifference you will get indifference.
Parents, can be powerful role models for your kids by showering them with love.
There is no replacement for love. Fancy gifts or toys cannot replace love.
Play with them, feed them, bathe them.
Your child will know that you love them when they see you doing everything for them every day!
Even if you are not good at expressing love, not able to hug and kiss easily, your child will be able to sense your love for them.
When you give them so much love, they will love you back.
Values
Even though you don’t realise or you feel that children aren’t watching you, they will adapt all your mindset, values, beliefs and attitude.
So if you want your children to have certain values then you have got to adopt them first.
If you want your children to speak your mother tongue, you have to speak it first.
Talk at home (all the time) in your mother tongue, your children will feel encouraged to speak it.
If you want your children to be loyal to your country then you should be seen as being loyal to your country first.
You cannot do something and expect something else from your children. They will feel confused.
Moreover, children always do what parents do and not what parents say.
Healthy Eating
A lot of parents struggle to make their children eat healthy food.
What is the most important reason for this happening?
Parents are themselves not eating healthy food.
I have heard parents complain often, “My child doesn’t eat vegetables..”
“My child doesn’t eat lentils..”
“My child is always having sugary drinks and chocolates instead of healthy meals”
Did you (parent) eat his/her vegetables?
Did the parent eat lentils?
How many portions of sugary stuff did the parent have on a particular day?
If parents eat healthy balanced meals, there is no reason why the child will not do so.
The child doesn’t know any better. They are watching their parents and just copying everything they do!
Parents will have to be role models for their kids for healthy eating too!
Screen Time
Another common complaint from parents, “My child watches television at every mealtime.”
OR
“My child is using devices all the time. He never reads a book or never plays with toys.”
Parents will have to be role models or set an example first.
Parents can lead by example by playing games with them which doesn’t involve any screens – indoor games like board games or outdoor games like cricket, football, etc.
While eating, keep all devices away from you(parent) and your children.
Habits – Good or Bad
If parents have any bad habits like smoking or lying or stealing, their kids will be the first ones to pick this up.
Children always look upon their parents as their role models. They will start having the same habits as their parents.
If you(parent) are a smoker, chances are your parent would have been a smoker too!
You cannot smoke and then tell your children that smoking is injurious to health. Well, you can tell them but the chances of them smoking will increase tenfold!
If you lie to your relatives to get out of a difficult/inconvenient situation in front of your kids, they are only going to learn how to lie.
If you lie, your children will think it is okay to lie sometimes.
Similarly, children will also observe and copy all your good habits. If you are loving and caring, they will learn how to love and care!
If you are always thinking positively towards any situation, they will develop a positive mindset too.
Respect
If you respect your child and other people around you, your child will learn respect too.
You can teach your child respect
- By empathising with your children when they are faced with difficult situations.
- Not humiliating them or shouting at them especially in front of other people. Parents should talk to their children (or anybody else) the way they would like to be spoken to.
- Parents shouldn’t talk ill of their children to others.
If you give respect, you will get respect.
Considerate
If you (parent) are considerate, your children will also learn how to be considerate. They will also learn to be helpful.
If you do charity, they will also learn to give away toys, books or clothes to poor people.
Hard work and work ethics
Parents often complain that their child isn’t hardworking(in their studies) or that they give up easily. Parents must teach them to work hard or teach them not to give up. They can do this by setting an example or by doing it first, themselves.
If parents work hard then they can expect their children to do the same.
But if parents are lazy and have no desire to work hard for anything in life then they shouldn’t expect their children to be hard working.
Set an example of listening
Another common complaint of parents is that their children, do not listen to them. Agreed, children will not listen to their parents all the time. But you can reduce the incidences of ‘not listening’ by setting an example.
Next time your child requests for something, don’t say no always to everything. Balance things out. If their requests are reasonable then agree to them.
Conclusion
Once you become a parent your life will be put under a microscope. Your every movement, action, quality, habits will be observed by your children. So make sure you be what you want your child to be.
Children are mirror images of their parents!
Good luck!
