If one word could provide the key to raising happy, healthy and successful children, it would be 'habits'. Our habitual lifestyles, thoughts, emotions and decisions determine the outcomes in our lives and establish deep grooves of programming that direct and sometimes imprison our lives.

The habits we teach or allow in our children will determine their futures. The beliefs that accompany these habits are also extremely important. Parenting plays a vitally important role in the lives of our children. If we do not provide a trustworthy, safe and predictable environment, our children's emotions can become damaged and lead them to make reactive decisions which lead to negative results in their lives. Habitual negative emotions and reactions can create a world full of drama and unnecessary challenge for our children, which continue into their adult lives.

Training our children to think positively is also very important. Helping them to see different ways of viewing the same set of circumstances enables them to reframe events and give them a different spin. This is a valuable skill that empowers individuals to be able to maintain some control of their lives even under very difficult circumstances.

Empowering our children to make decisions and gradually become independent is one of the greatest gifts parents can offer their children. Children need to be able to say 'no' under certain circumstances. The older they get, the more appropriate this is. Very domineering parents who see teenage boundary setting as being rebellious or disrespectful are setting their children up for future abuse. Boundaries are extremely important for teenagers and they remain important throughout their adult lives. People who lack boundaries are often very stressed, vulnerable and confused individuals. Teaching children the habit of trusting their 'inner voice' and acting on their own values rather than being influenced by others, can save them from serious harm and may even save their lives.

Behavioral habits such as picking up after themselves, helping out around the home, doing their homework and keeping themselves clean are also essential life skills. Without these habits, children are often unable to grow up into effective adults. Lack of organizational skills can affect academic results and work performance, seriously diminishing opportunities for success.

Lifestyle habits are the lynch pin habits that affect every area of a person's life. 'Lifestyle' refers to both diet and exercise and can affect a person's physical, emotional and mental well being. The modern western diet full of high sugar, high fat, and processed foods is creating a number of serious illnesses such as Type 2 Diabetes which gravely impact the health, happiness and success of sufferers. Unless children eat a healthy, natural diet and exercise daily they will face an uphill battle in life. We live in sea of chemicals. We are eating them, drinking them, breathing them and drenching our skin in them. It is a wonder that the human race has survived the modern world. If we want our children to live healthy, happy and successful lives, we cannot ignore the importance of diet and exercise. The habits we instill when they are young will stay with them throughout their lives.

Good health encourages happy emotions and positive thinking. If we try to build good emotional and mental habits into the lives of our children without ensuring they are eating healthy foods (and avoiding processed foods) we may well be wasting our time. If we take the time to create positive habits in the lives of our children we will be blessing them with an inheritance of good health, happiness and success.

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