Parents everywhere are looking for ways to minimize influences on their children outside the home by creating a positive influence on their children at home. There are several easy ways you can be a positive influence on your children at home that will help them balance the outside influences.
Model Positive Behaviors
Being an exemplary role model for your children is easy. Children are constantly paying attention, even when you think they are not. They are watching and learning to see how their parents deal with stress, disappointment, anger, and other emotions.
We teach both positive and negative behavior at home. Here is a simple example of how much your behavior influences your child. Let's say you see a mouse in the kitchen, and your child is in the room with you, (according to Pest World, about 37% of homeowners have seen a mouse in their house in the last year) your first reaction may be to scream and jump on a chair. Giving in to that first reaction, may in fact teach your child to be afraid of rodents.
A better option would be to acknowledge that you do not want a mouse in the house, but you can call in an exterminator to take care of the problem. Staying calm and in control when faced with a stressful situation, is a positive character trait that you want to pass on to your child. Model the behavior that you want your child to adopt.
Watch What You Say
Keep your language positive at home when speaking to your spouse and your children. Many people are much kinder with their words to people that they work with and others that they come in contact with outside the home than they do with the people inside their home. Find something positive to say to your children every day. For example, start every morning with a "good morning, today is going to be a great day." This little affirmation is not only good for your children to hear but it is good for you to hear as well.
Avoid "terminal phrases" like "you always" or "you never" when speaking to your spouse and your children. Curb negative language at home.
Use Positive Reinforcement
If you want to raise children that find joy in things that are not materialistic, never bribe your children. Material things bring joy in the immediate, but praise and time spent together will create lasting positive memories. According to Consumer Reports, 41% of buyers wind up regretting their purchases, anyway. Unfilled expectations about the purchase delivering long-term happiness typically cause the buyer's regret. All "things" go out of style, but positive attention does not. Raise children that enjoy doing a good job simply because it is the right thing to do, and it delivers positive attention.
Keep Up on Your Home Maintenance
A positive home is a home that is highly functional. Home maintenance can help to keep your house a positive place by reducing stress. For example, HVAC maintenance can reduce the risk of costly unexpected breakdowns by 95% according to Data Scope. By taking care of your home, you are teaching your children two things.
The first is teaching them a work ethic. When you put in the work, you are rewarded by having less stress and worry to deal with. The second thing you are teaching them is to value what they already have. Both lessons are positive lessons that your children will remember as they get older and have their own homes.
It is essential to always remember some of the biggest lessons your children are learning do not come from what you tell them but come from what you show them. Children are like little sponges, ready to absorb both the positive and the negative. They are looking to you for guidance all the time, even when they are not asking. Create a positive environment in your home to help offset some of the negativity outside your home.
