by AngelaCharles

Created on: November 21, 2008

How to Make Sure Your Actions Influence your children in a positive way.

Children Learn What They Live

Regardless of what you hear pertaining to peer pressure, you are the primary influence on your child's life. Assuring that you impact them in a positive manner is up to you!

The person you are and how you react to everyday situations in your life is your greatest influence on your child. The poem by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph. D, "Children Learn What They Live," puts it most eloquently. "If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight... If children live with sharing, they learn generosity. If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness. If children live with fairness, they learn justice... "

This is true in our everyday lives. If you come home, filled with negativity from your day, your child will learn to be negative. If you pick apart your coworkers, discussing how much you "hate" them, your child will learn to hate. On the contrary, if you come home and share the positive aspects of your day, no matter how minor or trivial, your child will learn to be positive. Your reaction to politics, the news, disagreements with family and friends, these actions are the primary influence in your child's life. Learn to use your reactions to every day obstacles, good fortunes and life experiences as a tool in mentoring your own child. Be the person you want your children to be.

Unfortunately, when your life consists of one stressor after another, it is hard to see the positive side of anything. That is why it is so critical to find constructive ways to alleviate stress in your life. Whether it is your distain for your job, a friend whose problems and negativity constantly seem to run into your life or issues with drug or alcohol dependency, how you deal with this stress will directly influence who your child becomes. That is not to say that you are the only influence in your child's life and who they become is completely in your control. They are many predetermined genetic traits as well as outside influences that you will never be able to control. Things such as media and peer pressure will definitely influence your child, but that is what makes your influence so critical. From outrageous video games that promote sex and violence as "norm", to the constant bombardment of local and national news stories that show the monstrosities of society, you need to counter balance the continually negative attributes that

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