29/05/2017
If we want our children to grow into happy and healthy individuals, we have to wake up and go back to the basics.
Set limits and remember that you are your child’s PARENT, not a friend
Offer kids well-balanced lifestyle filled with what kids NEED, not just what they WANT. Don’t be afraid to say “No!” to your kids if what they want is not what they need.
Provide nutritious food and limit snacks
Spend one hour a day in green space: biking, hiking, fishing, watching birds/insects
Have a daily technology-free family dinner.
Play one board game a day.
Involve your child in one chore a day (folding laundry, tidying up toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table etc)
implement consistent sleep routine to ensure that your child gets lots of sleep in a technology-free bedroom
Teach responsibility and independence. Don’t over-protect them from small failures. It trains them the skills needed to overcome greater life’s challenges:
Don’t pack your child’s backpack, don’t carry her backpack, don’t bring to school his forgotten lunch box/agenda, and don’t peel a banana for a 5-year-old child. Teach them the skills rather than do it for them.
Teach delayed gratification and provide opportunities for “boredom” as boredom is the time when creativity awakens:
Don’t feel responsible for being your child’s entertainment crew.Do not use technology as a cure for boredom.
Be emotionally available to connect with kids and teach them self-regulation and social skills:
Turn off your phones until kids are in bed to avoid digital distraction. Become your child’s emotional coach. Teach them to recognize and deal with frustration and anger.Teach greeting, turn taking, sharing, empathy, table manners, conversation skills.
Connect emotionally - Smile, hug, kiss, tickle, read, dance, jump, or crawl with your child.
We must make changes in our kids’ lives before this entire generation of children will have mental issues
