The modern day parent lives in a fishbowl – judging their lives and choices by a variety of standards. The biggest observer of the fishbowl that parents occupy is their child. Your kids observe every move you make, every word you say and every, everything that happens.
It can be pretty tough as a parent to realize that you have to be on your best behavior all the time. There are always little ears and eyes that are watching and they are the first ones to notice when you start telling them to do what you say and not what you do. Warning – kids know all about what you do and they are really big on calling you on it. So if you are telling your kids to get out of the house and play and be more active – you need to not be the one sitting on the sofa with your feet up, drinking a soda and watching television when you’re telling them to be active.
Be Positive Role Model
The best way to be a positive role model for your children is to find something you love. I love to walk, my daughter knows I love to walk so she loves to go out walking with me. I love to ride my horse and now she’s taking riding lessons. She wants very much to go out on a trail ride with me (although she’s done so before, it’s usually been with her riding on my horse with me).
I see runners in my neighborhood on the weekends with their kids running along after them. There are a lot of cyclists in my area and at least four separate parents that I have seen with tandems, riding with their younger children on the tandem behind them.
When you discover something that you love, that love will show through and your kids will enjoy it too. It’s also a very healthy way to spend quality time together. Remember, when a family exercises together, they are spending quality time together in a manner that is both healthy and economical.
Do you have a particularly fun exercise or physical activity that you enjoy doing with your kids?
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