As a parent, you have the power to raise wonderful kids who know what’s right from what’s wrong and can make morally sound decisions. You can help them become empathetic individuals who can show compassion towards others without getting held back by societal prejudice and bias.
And you can teach them how to deal with their emotions so that they won’t join the population of emotionally constipated adults who refuse to communicate their feelings or create healthy relationships. By giving them proper guidance and ample support, your children can become their best selves yet.
But this means that you have to create a safe environment within your household to allow those kinds of behaviors to prosper. You can’t expect your children to grow into fine adults who can manage on their own if you can’t help them cultivate their potential and discover themselves when they’re still young.
To get you started on the right path, you can teach your kids about the importance of caring for their overall well-being. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle does not only pertain to their physical well-being, but also their mental, emotional, and spiritual selves. Here’s a more in-depth look into the three aspects:
Mind
These days, more people are becoming aware of how important it is to care for their mental health. The mind works just as hard, if not more than the human body; as such, it deserves to receive the same amount of care that a person gives to their physical health. Mental health needs to be prioritized too.
As the adult in the house, you can help your children care for their mental health by allowing them to open up about their personal experiences. Just because they’re young doesn’t mean that they have nothing to say, especially because they are still discovering the world that you’re accustomed to.
Allow them to speak their minds and actively listen to what they have to say. Answer any questions that they have about life, feelings, emotions, and thoughts without invalidating or ignoring them. This way, they can learn how to voice and sort out their thoughts so that they won’t have to repress anything.
Body
Everyone’s bodies may look different, but that doesn’t make them any less important. While your children are still young, you can teach them how to look beyond people’s personal appearances and instead, focus on what’s inside them. Allow them to see people not for the clothes on their backs, but for the values and principles, they live by.
Also, help them understand how essential it is for them to care for their bodies. Teach them the importance of consent and respect so that they won’t allow other people to touch their bodies, especially if there’s malicious intent behind the act. And give them the moral support they need to be comfortable in their own skin.
Aside from the mentality and attitude they have towards their bodies, you can help them learn about how they can prioritize their physical well-being. After all, they won’t be able to achieve anything if they don’t have the energy or strength to face their battles, so teach them how to listen to their body’s needs.
For instance, as an adult, you may already be dealing with chronic pains that come with aging. But modern science and medicine are not always the solution to stay physically healthy. S00ometimes, what you need is to go to an acupuncture practice and seek alternative methods of healing.
Spirit
Caring for the spirit is different from the mind and the body because healing doesn’t come from external factors. Instead, spiritual healing comes from within. As a parent, you can teach your children to focus on their spirituality by introducing them to your religion or belief in a greater force or being.
Being spiritual isn’t limited to just one or the other; it could be an intermingling of higher powers that gives people a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. You don’t have to force your religion down your children’s throats, especially if you can raise them properly in an environment that practices these beliefs.
It may be unorthodox to allow your children to choose their own religion or beliefs when they reach a certain age, but it can be beneficial to your future relationships as well. Give them the space to discover the spiritual powers that exist in the world and let them choose what they want to believe in.
There’s no such thing as a perfect way to parent, but keep in mind that your parenting style will greatly affect how your children grow up and how they see the world. If you weren’t raised in a safe and loving environment, don’t let your children go through the same experiences you went through. Instead, choose to be better.
