Whether you just found out you’re pregnant or you’re already taking care of your newborn, it’s never too early to start considering what kind of positive influence you will be for your kid. Are you going to be a supermom who never shows any weakness in the midst of turmoil, or are you going to be more open and honest with your kids, no matter the consequences? Ultimately, the choice is up to you, as long as you take their wellbeing into account when making your decision.
Regardless of the type of mom you choose to be, there are certain aspects of your kid’s life that your actions will heavily influence. That’s why it’s good to be prepared and know how to be a positive influence on your child. That way, they grow up into the young adult you want them to become.
Act in the Way You Want Them To Act
Whether they want to or not, your kids are going to act the way you do—it’s human nature, after all. At a young age, they start noticing the things you do, and since you’re one of the most influential people they have in their life, they’ll look to you as an example of what to be. There’s a reason why you see young kids who are needlessly opinionated on topics they shouldn’t know anything about: they learned it from their parents.
In a better example, suppose you want your kid to stay fit as they get older to improve their overall health. There are plenty of ways to convince them to exercise, but none of them will stick if you’re lounging around on the couch while they’re outside riding their bike. Instead, get out there with them and go on a bike ride through the neighborhood together.
Include Your Child When Making Decisions for Them
Remember when you were a child—nothing was quite as horrible as your parents telling you that you weren’t allowed to do something, especially when they didn’t talk to you first. Avoid doing this with your own kid. Granted, you still need to make the decisions for them, but including them in the conversation and listening to what they have to say can change how they react when you tell them they can’t do the activity in question, especially if you explain why afterward.
Also, don’t be afraid to admit when you were wrong about a decision. Nobody can be right all the time, and the sooner your kid understands that the sooner they will learn to admit their mistakes when they make a bad choice in the future.
Use Positivity
The best tip on how to be a positive influence on your child is to simply be positive. Of course, we know you can’t act that way all of the time. Sometimes bad things happen, and you need to release some grief or frustration. However, having an overall positive demeanor with your kids can go a long way when shaping who they’ll become.
If you are constantly a bad influence on your child, don’t act surprised if they start acting badly when they get older. As we mentioned in our first point, they likely learned that behavior from you, so be careful with the decisions you make—because so many of them influence your child.
Author Bio
Christina Duron is a writer living in the Chicagoland area. Her passion for writing and mental health help create thought provoking and engaging pieces and hopes to use them to empower mothers and women to embrace the beauty of motherhood.
