Bad habits are bad whether you have children or not. Attempting to be a better person is worthwhile for those raising kids as well as those who are not. With that said, having kids means more pressure in terms of setting a good example. Bad habits displayed in front of children will likely lead them to think these behaviors are acceptable. Even if you give them the “Do as I say, not as I do.” line, they will still associate bad habits with a role model and have a greater chance of picking them up.
Parents ought to be prepared to give up their bad habits if they haven’t already. At the very least, parents have an obligation to try and restrain themselves from displaying bad habits and misbehaviors in front of their children.
Here is a short list of common bad habits parents ought to avoid:
Smoking
Never smoke around your kids. Asthma, allergies, and other illnesses affecting the respiratory systems of children are often linked to exposure to tobacco smoke. If you’re unwilling to quit, go outdoors to keep your kids away from secondhand smoke. Switching to vape is another option to consider. Services such as ZampleBox.com make it easy to pick from hundreds of unique vape juice flavors, an option which helps ease the transition from smoking to vaping. The benefit of vape is that it does not produce the toxic fumes of smoke, eliminating the threat of second-hand smoke to your kids.
Drinking
While drinking around children doesn’t present the same immediate health risks of smoking, it does set a bad example and raise the possibility of parental negligence. In short, avoid drinking alcohol in front of your kids. Given the health risks associated with regular alcohol consumption, it’s best to avoid drinking altogether. With that said, the occasional night out with friends and a babysitter back home is fine so long as it doesn’t take priority over your family.
Profanity
The use of profane language around children is a classic no-no in the unwritten book on parenting. With that said, we all know we’ve slipped up a few times in front of our kids. A brief burst of profanity in the heat of a sudden and potentially dangerous moment, like a close call with another car in traffic, isn’t exactly something parents should beat themselves up about. It’s the casual swearing in front of your kids at home which is likely to inspire them to use similar language in the future.
Yelling
Even if two parents are able to remain as quiet as mice and patient as saints around their child, the terrible twos will reveal that humans are born to yell and scream. Having said that, we’re meant to grow out of this phase pretty fast. Parents who yell and scream at each other will teach children this behavior is normal past their toddler years. Refrain from raising your voice as much as possible, in order to set a good example for your children regarding the appropriate volume for speaking.
Bad habits are bad for everybody, but parents have a bit more responsibility when it comes to keeping their less desirable traits in check. They are looking after the future of the planet and will be providing the first impressions these young minds receive on their journey through life. With this in mind, parents should always be in the process of being a better person, for themselves and their kids.
