A healthy child should always be surrounding by a wide range of positive influences. The people around your little ones as they grow up will always impact their lives, shaping the personality which comes out at the end of it. Of course, as a parent, you will want to be the biggest example of this for your kids, giving you loads of work to do. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring a range of the different ways in which you can influence your child. While you will have to work hard to achieve a goal like this, you will be able to improve your own life in the process, making it well worth it.
Socially
The first few years of a person’s life are some of the most important when it comes to the way they are able to handle themselves socially as an adult. A lot of children find it hard to master this part of life as they grow up, with parents hardly doing enough to push them in right direction. This is a shame, though, as it could hurt their friendships, relationships, and even their future career. A young person will always emulate the way that their parents act in this area. This gives you the chance to teach in this field through simple demonstrations, acting confident when they see you talking to others, while working to make sure that you’re handling conversations well.
Financially
Being thrown into adult life without the ability to look after money correctly can be a terrifying experience for a young person, and a lot of people find themselves in this position. Being open about the financial side of your life with your kids as they start to get a little older is a great way to show them how to handle this part of life. Along with this, though, you could also do some work in their earlier life. Giving them pocket money and giving them tough decisions to make are a big part of this. To have the biggest influence, most parents will spend time actively teaching their children about the best methods to use when it comes to looking after money.
Work Ethic
Unfortunately, it’s often much easier to teach a child to be lazy than it is to inspire them to be a hard worker. You aren’t completely powerless, though, and this all starts with the work which you do. If your little ones spend their whole lives seeing you work hard at your job and other commitments, they will see the behaviour as the norm, and are much more likely to adopt the right attitude towards work. While they are at school, helping them to complete homework and assignments on time will also give them an idea of how important this side of life is.
This can end up being one of the most important parts of your child’s life, especially if you handle it correctly, and this makes it worth putting in as much effort as possible. You can also make this work benefit yourself, though. If you work as a nurse, for example, taking a registered nurse to bachelor’s of science in nursing online degree option to enhance your work would expose your kids to home studying. While this may not seem like a big thing, it could improve your career, while also showing your children that it is worth working to get what you want.
Politically
Politics are a bit of a tricky area when it comes to parenting. Most moms and dads will want their children to follow in their footsteps, supporting the parties they support, and sitting on the same side of the fence. This won’t always be possible, though, as your child will need to be independent in this part of their life. Instead of pushing their direction in this area, the best parents will teach their children the right attitude to take towards it. They should see you voting on a regular basis, should be challenged to explore what different politicians offer, and, most importantly, should be able to see that you’re approaching politics with an open mind.
Health
When your child is young, you will be solely responsible for looking after their health. The food they eat, the exercise they perform, and the visits they make to the doctor are all very important to this side of life. You can’t simply leave this as doing it all for them, though. Along with this, they need to see the adults in their life following the same sort of rules. Participating in a team sport is great for this, as this is something a young person can get involved with, while also giving you a way to keep yourself in good shape. Being open and honest about the medical side of your life can also be a big help when it comes to this.
Compassion
Finally, as the last area to consider, it’s time to think about compassion. The modern world your child has to grow up in can often make it hard to follow the right path when they are faced with issues like this. Thankfully, though, you will have plenty of time to show them how to be compassionate. Volunteering with charities, helping people in need, and always be there to listen to your child’s worries are all great ways to influence this part of their life. Not enough people are taught that you don’t need to be confident to be compassionate, leaving those in need to suffer without the support they need.
Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the time which goes into the influence you have on your children. A lot of parents find it hard to master this side of life, passing down bad habits and lifestyle traits which could stay with their children into their adulthood. It doesn’t have to be this way, though, as long as you’re willing to put the time into pushing them in the right direction.
