Love is not a big enough word to describe how we feel about our kids. We’d move mountains to help them, we’d throw ourselves under a bus to protect them. There isn’t a horror imagined by even the most fevered of minds that we wouldn’t stare down to protect our children from hurt or harm. We’d wrestle a live alligator or go mano-a-mano with a grizzly bear if either came between us and our kids. However, when it comes to raising your kids into happy, healthy responsible adults, rarely are such histrionic acts necessary. The simple truth is that often the best thing we can do for our kids is to be kind to ourselves.
Let that sink in for a moment.
But parenthood is supposed to be a sacrifice isn’t it? After all, from the moment our kids are born, we’re genetically programmed to put their needs first! While that’s absolutely true, putting our kids needs at the forefront of everything we do needn’t come at the expense of our health and wellbeing. Indeed, there are numerous ways in which making some health changes can make you a better parent, boost your childrens’ morale and improve their quality of life…
Giving up smoking
If you’ve already lost one or both parents then you know the psychological devastation of such a bereavement. While one is never the right age to be able to process this trauma, it’s even more Earth shattering for a child than a full grown adult to lose a parent to lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, circulatory disease or the many ill effects of a lifetime of smoking. Giving up smoking also makes you a better person for a kid to be around. You’re more able to do physical tasks, you smell nicer and you’re less likely to be fidgety and irritable as you crave your latest nicotine fix. Quitting cold turkey can be hard so many switch to vaping as an intermediary measure. Check out https://www.ecigwizard.com/ for more information. Using nicotine patches and gum can also help you to quit more effectively than using willpower alone.
Cutting down on alcohol
A slow and unpleasant death by cirrhosis of the liver is not something you’d want your kids to see but there are many ways in which quitting or limiting alcohol intake can make you a better parent. Alcohol makes your behavior more erratic in ways you may not even be aware of. It can quicken your temper, make you raise your voice without realizing (devastating to a child) and make you lethargic and depressed in ways that will lessen your ability to do fun activities with your kids.
Embracing the power of plants
A diet that’s rich in meat, dairy and processed foods has been linked to a range of health problems from heart disease to diabetes. Attitudes towards food are often inherited just as much as much as eye color, and the food you put on the table will play a huge part in determining your child’s health as an adult. It’s proven that a vegan diet is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep your energy levels up but even if you don’t fancy going full vegan there are still significant benefits to making sure your family gets lots of healthy fruit and veg in their diet.
