Be that role model .....

Carl Jung once said that children are educated by what they see adults do, not by what they say and this is so true!

We need to be the role models for our children because they are constantly watching what we do so they can work out how they should be.

If we shout at them and others, then they will learn that it’s okay to shout at people. If we eat unhealthy food and never exercise, then that’s what they’re going to learn to do. But it’s not just harmful behaviours they will learn, they’ll also learn from all our healthy behaviours.

A child that grows up in a household full of books and seeing their parents reading will likely be a reader themselves. If a child wants to learn to read, it makes it easier to teach them. A child that is part of a family that goes out for regular walks and loves the outdoors will likely grow up to be active with a love for nature.

Childhood is so short and there is so little time to teach our children how to be positive, happy, confident children who are at ease with their emotions, their physical being, themselves. So be that role model.

Teach your childen to read, to think for themselves, to be confident about sharing their opinions and be honest with them. We’re all going to make mistakes - that’s human - but when you err, tell them, apologise and forgive yourself. What your child will see is someone who owns up to their faults, accepts them and moves on.

Don’t be your child’s best friend - they’ve probably already got one of those - but they’ve only got one set of parents. So be their mum or their dad; be their guide, their support, their love, their carer - just be there for them and let them see how to be.