With children, all things learned first start at home,
whether it be from the parents, siblings or the TV shows they are able to watch. Children are like little sponges, whatever
you do or say, they absorb it and spit it back out with their own little twist
to it. The same goes with making healthy
decisions for you and your children, if they see their parents sitting on the
couch eat a cheeseburger, what do you think they will want to do? Setting an example of a health lifestyle is
very important for young children development and their future as adults. The behaviors they learn as young children
will most likely follow them on through adulthood. So what can be done to encourage this
behavior early on? First of all children
are naturally active, so let them use all of that energy. Placing children in sports, dance classes, or
just encouraging them to play outside with other children instead of playing
video games, watching TV, or on the computer are great ways to keep them
active.
Secondly, getting children to eat healthy is equally as
important as keeping them active. As children,
they have little say about what they want to eat, sure, some children can be
picky eaters but if parents are putting the right foods in front of their
children, they are still getting their proper nutrition. Life can sometimes be hectic and there is not
always time to make a healthy home cooked meal but there are always better
choices than the drive thru window. Planning
meals or teaching children how to prepare simple meals helps eliminate the stress
of preparing meals and still give children a healthier option.
Now since children are not always under the supervision of
their parents, it is still up to the parents, health educator, and community individuals
to make healthier choices available out side of the home for children to take advantage
of. Once children are constantly expose
to health behavior choose, making healthy decision will become second nature.
With me having children of my own I think that it is very important to teach them health eating habits at home by example, because that is where it all beings. For instance I let my daughter send the night at a relatives house and she called saying that she was being pickie about what she wanted to eat and drink and she couldnt understand why she didnt want to eat any chips or drink soda. I had to explain to her that it wasnt that she was being pickie, she just is following the routine that we have at home and soda and chips are not apart of our daily food routine.In order for there to be a decline in child obese and the onset of diabetes parents need to take charge and show their children the proper way to be a health individual. People teach their children wrong from right so whats wrong with teaching them the difference between a health snack and a bad snack.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment that children are like sponges. I know that my three year old is definitely a sponge. I am guilty of having bad eating habits and that is something that I need to work on because there have been times that my daughter has seen me eat burgers and fries. I feel really bad because you're right. I am shaping her future habits and that is something that I have to really pay attention to.
ReplyDeleteParents really do have to set an example for kids to follow. My mother always got us to eat healthy by trying different ways of making them and finding a way that we liked. Now I still use that technique using variety to keep me interested in being healthy. I just wish I could find something to get my daughter to try new things even if I am doing it in front of her. I guess it is harder than it looks.
ReplyDeleteSara J