Great family health is an integral part of success in life. Here are three excellent ways to achieve it.
A Safe Home Is a Happy Home
When it comes to family health, one of the most important aspects to consider is the home. After all, your house or apartment is the place where you and the other members of your family will spend the vast majority of your time in. If it is a wonderful place defined by safety and a sense of belonging, everybody will want to be there. It will bring your family together as a collective unit where each member can lean on the other. This creates both a physical and mental support system that does wonders for everybody’s health.
On the other hand, if it isn’t, the answer is the opposite. There will come a point when your spouse and children start coming up with excuses to be somewhere else, be it their friends’ houses, the office, the gym, and many others. And when this happens, it will be very difficult to bring them back.
As such, you must take the necessary steps to make your home the best possible place it can be. Examples include keeping it tidy and clean, getting a composite fence to protect it from the outside, filling it with pictures of the entire family, and making it a place where everybody is free to be who they truly are.
Companionship in Health
The best way to lead others is by example. If you show them how to do something by doing it yourself, chances are they will learn much faster, not to mention better and more accurately. Instead, if you tell them to do it and give them a manual, the results will not be as you expected.
The same goes for family health, especially when it comes to its two most important components. In case you haven’t guessed them, they are physical exercise and nutrition.
As adults, many of us like to work out on our own. For some, it’s about maximizing their output and not having to adapt to the physical conditioning of others. For others, working out is a therapy for the body and the mind, one that works best when performed alone.
However, this doesn’t mean we cannot engage in physical activity with our wives and kids. It doesn’t mean we cannot go to the park as a family, run around, play catch, and reap the benefits of moving while building important bonds with our loved ones.
As for nutrition, if we are incredibly busy, at least on weekends or a few times during the week, we can share breakfast or dinner with the entire clan. And when we do it, we can take advantage of this time to educate our kids on what to eat, what to avoid, and why.
Fair but not Equal
In the past few months, there’s been a lot of social turmoil in the world. Whether it is issues of race, gender, or financial standing, there’s been much debate on the concept of equality. Men and women are equal. People from all nationalities are equal. The rich and the poor are equal. But even if it is a noble concept, the simple reality is that we are not all the same. Yet, that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to be treated fairly.
Many times, driven by a sense of justice and love, parents treat their children equally. They give them the same food, have them go to bed simultaneously, introduce them to the same hobbies and sports, and even expect the same from them. Over time, one child excels over the over, developing confidence and the motivation to succeed. The other loses self-esteem, gets angry, and either blames himself or his own family.
The key to raising healthy and happy kids is understanding that our sons and daughters are unique individuals, even if they come from the same group of genes. As a result, they have different needs. If one is allergic to seafood, we can find alternative options that are equally healthy. If one has trouble sleeping, maybe we can allow him to go to bed a little later than the other.
By respecting their individuality, we are helping them flourish and excel.
We have taken a look at three essential aspects of family health. The first is having the right home environment. The second is engaging in healthy activities as a family. Finally, it’s about treating our kids with fairness, but not the same. Regardless of who we are or our circumstances, these are things we can all do for the betterment of those closest to us.
