Being a Role Model of Health to Children

Being a Role Model of Health to Children
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Kahveci]Kyle Kahveci

Parents always want the best for the children. Learning materials, toys, clothing, food and recreation and quality time always come on top of parents` priority lists. But what if all the fun stuff came with a price? Say, the child gets crooked permanent teeth, tooth decay or worse: gingivitis at an early age because of his/her indulgence in sweets and lack of parental responsibility on feeding kids food that they actually need. Parents to prioritize health more, especially on growing children. A well-nourished child beats a spoiled child any time.

Parents in third world countries have the problem of maintaining a healthy diet for their children even more because of the financial crisis. People living in the United States need to wake up to the fact that they are more privileged than they think. All the food they need to sustain a healthy life for their children are commercially available; not to mention cheap because of the large consumer base.

But we must admit, parenting is a hard job, especially when we can't force our children to eat the food that they need. Being a parent is also like becoming an expert tactician-the more you understand and empathize with the subject, the more you get him/her to believe in you. Getting children to eat vegetables is tricky, but with a few good honest stories, you might win their hearts and appetites too.

You can start by feeding them cereal on a daily basis. By letting them eat cereal, they become more interested in eating light foods, like dairy, pastry, fruits and vegetables. Do not indulge them every day to eat meat-it will only make them more reliant on fatty foods and thus, losing their interest in fruits and vegetables. But you can also casually serve them meat in the form of burgers and hot dogs. Make sure that when you serve them vegetables, promise to give them a treat like ice cream or a chocolate pudding (both low fat) once they finish their meal. Do this on a regular basis and you'll be impressed on how they will adapt to your conditions.

Packing their lunch is also a good way of putting your parenting skills to work. But a number of children in the US have admittedly thrown or given away the food in their lunchboxes. Why? Usually, parents don't give as much attention to the food they cram into lunchboxes as they do on the food they serve in plates. Unfortunately, kids are also very picky with what they eat-connoisseurs gone rogue, if you'd ask us. If the food doesn't look like what they had in mind, they'll have more reason to ignore or give away the contents of their lunchboxes and go to the cafeteria and pick whatever meal they want. To avoid this, parents must always and we mean ALWAYS consult their kinds on what their food preferences are for that day. If they like sandwiches on a given Wednesday, then fine, pack them a sandwich-but make sure the sandwich was made out love, as evidenced by the meat and vegetables packed inside the bread.

A parent should also be good role models for their kids. If dad is lying in the sofa eating chips and drinking beer, there's a good chance little Bert will imitate the doings of his dad. "Practice what you preach," our elders always tell us. And that's true. Parents should be exemplary role models to their kids. As a parent, make sure your kid regularly sees you brushing and flossing our teeth, so they get a good impression that their parent is not bluffing about the things they profess.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Being-a-Role-Model-of-Health-to-Children&id=4755898] Being a Role Model of Health to Children