Growing up as a fat kid, the one thing I wished my parents had taught me was self-discipline. When you grow old, and life gets more challenging, it becomes harder to step up and do what`s necessary when you`ve been programming your mind to obey whatever your lusty self tells you to do.
Self-discipline then becomes a necessity so bitter that you wish you’d learned it early on when your brain was more malleable to change.
If you have kids and want to see them happy, then the best thing to do is teach them self-discipline and how hard work pays off. This is the one trait they must never grow old without. One study found that children with low self-control have the highest unemployment rates compared to their peers. So yes, self-discipline is important if you want both you, and your child to be happy, and the following steps will show you how.
1.Be a Role Model
Studies found that partners who share house labor together have better marriages and raise smarter kids. The easiest and best ways to teach your kid self-discipline is to lead by example: Don’t be a couch potato, and do the chores together. This will help you will build a stronger bond between you two and your children, also.
2.Set Regular Bedtimes
Another study found that children who don`t have regular bedtimes — or sleep after 9 p.m.— neither perform socially nor academically. Sleeping on time helps build the concept of rules in your kid`s mind so they can later have their own rules and stick to them. Plus, going to bed on time teaches your kid the importance of deadlines and how to respect them.
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3.Let them make their bed.
This will teach your kids what it means to be responsible for something. Regardless of your age, the first win you`ll ever get in the day is a clean, tidy bed.
4.Tell them why it’s important.
The earlier you teach your kids self-control, the better. A new study from MIT found that babies as young as 15 months can understand the importance of hard work.
Your kids will stand a chance against life temptations if you take the time, and teach them why self-discipline is important to their wellbeing. You want them to gravitate towards self-control, so you must tell them why it`s important to their future success and sense of self.
5.Eliminate temptations.
When there`re many temptations around, the chances of failure increase regardless of how tough you are. Keep temptations off your kids` sight and you`re one step closer to teaching them good behavior.
When they have limited options, they`re more likely to pick the right ones. Kids usually eat what you want them to eat when they have nothing else. Want them to eat healthfully? It`s simple, all you have to do is keep the ice cream away and keep more fruit and veggies around.
6.Show them how to cope when things get hard.
Identify in advance the problems your kids will face when building self-discipline, then teach them strategies to overcome these obstacles. This is especially important when your kids need special care, like coping with ADHD.
Teach them how to reframe a setback as a challenge, focus on the moment, and chunk big goals into smaller phases. In the famousMarshmallow test, the kids who used similar strategies passed the test and later proved to have more fulfilling lives than their peers.
7.Encourage them to play sports
Activities like yoga, meditation, and running will build self-discipline and improve health and cognition in your kid.
One study conducted on 4,755 students found that those who exercised regularly outperformed their peers in both Maths and Science. A second study found that 25 minutes of mindfulness meditation and yoga can improve emotional regulation, cognitive functions, and energy levels. Whereas a third study found that short-term music training —20 days— improved both verbal intelligence and executive functions of young participants.
8.Don`t reward results (Or mere participating)
The shortest way to build fear of failure and perfectionism in your kids is to link the love you give them with the number of straight As they get, or how many goals they score in the soccer training.
On the other side of the spectrum being so light about your kids performing below their full potential, and rewarding them for just participating will make them soft. These kids eventually becomeresentful, entitled, irresponsible or fragile whenever life shows them its tough side.
The key is to reward hard work regardless of the result. This will teach your kids how to win and, at the same time, help them become healthy psychologically.
9.Limit TV Time.
One study found that children who see movie characters use guns are more likely to pull the trigger when given the chance.
Another 2013 study found that both verbal and cognitive performances of 29-months old toddlers decline with every extra hour they spend watching TV. These kids also showed lower classroom engagement which predicted bad social skills. According to the same study, the maximum number of allowed hours is two per day for infants older than two.
10.Routines, Routines, Routines
Routines can be boring to your kids, but they`ll thank you for it when they grow up. Neither you nor your kids can succeed without good routines. Create specific —and fixed— morning and after-school routines and set a specific time for homework, exercising, TV, and rest. This will teach your kids consistency, smart planning and the time-management skills they need to succeed.
11.No Spanking
Spanking is the shortest way to ruin a kid`s life. According to studies, spanking children promotes antisocial behavior and slows their mental development.