How to Create Healthy Habits That Strengthen Your Family (Part 1)

Good habits don’t just happen—they have to first be introduced to us. Then, it takes self-discipline and lots of practice to cultivate them into our regular routines.

Take, for instance, brushing and flossing. When we were very young, our parents brushed and flossed our teeth for us, gradually teaching us how to do it correctly so we could handle the task ourselves. Eventually, we learned that brushing is something we should practice daily—and you get a big gold star if you actually floss daily!—to promote healthy teeth and gums and prevent bad breath and other dental consequences.

Helping your child cultivate good habits will become a good habit of your own!

Helping your children form good habits can be a challenge. Once you have a goal in mind, focus on it daily. (Of course, your expectations should match your child's age and developmental stage.) Once your child has demonstrated an acceptable level of mastery, you can move on to the next habit. Helping your child cultivate good habits will become a good habit of your own!

Healthy Habit #1: Practice gratitude always!

Gratitude is a tricky concept. When all is right in our world, it’s easy to focus on the good, but the challenge is being able to maintain that focus when things are not going so well.

Most of us know we should express gratitude for major positive events in our lives, like having a roof over our heads, food on the table, and good health. But emotionally resilient families are also able to appreciate life's simplest pleasures, like the big tree in the backyard that your kids can climb, the nearby swimming spot on a hot summer day, or even just having access to a washer and dryer.

Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., author of Gratitude Works!: A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity, believes practicing gratitude is essential and worth the effort, especially when life is challenging.

He says:

It is precisely under crisis conditions when we have the most to gain by a grateful perspective on life. In the face of demoralization, gratitude has the power to energize. In the face of brokenness, gratitude has the power to heal. In the face of despair, gratitude has the power to bring hope. In other words, gratitude can help us cope with hard times.

Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., "How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times"

Most kids won't learn gratitude simply by being told to be grateful. The most important thing you can do is to model the behavior for your child.

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