Five Bad Habits to Help You Self Destruct

Here they are: five bad ones. Eat too much. Drink too much. Sit too much. Be promiscuous.Lie to yourself.If this description fits you, you will, statistically, be a candidate for ill health with unsatisfactory family relationships. Let’s be honest. As a parent, you are a terrible example to your children, and sadly, your children will be misfits. Indeed, they will, at best, be misfits, at worst, disasters. Think about it. If someone, husband, partner, friend, employer, forced you to do those five things you would sue them or at least get rid of them So why do it to yourself? Actually, I want to say congratulations, by reading this article you have taken the first step, that is, educating yourself. Education gives you power. You are holding it in your hands, right this minute. You can retrain yourself. You can make good habits part of your life. You can give yourself and your children a chance. It’s a priceless gift. Let’s begin with the easy ones. Take a look at the current junk guidelines in your house, the brainless habits you are passing on to your children. because you are still a teenager yourself, self centered, maybe even selfish.Sit at your desk or in your car, or in front of the TV from 9-5.Eat as much sugar and fat as you possibly can. For example: For breakfast, you would eat pancakes, waffles with syrup, sweet rolls or muffins. For lunch you choose a hamburger with potato chips or a toasted wrap with chicken and melted cheese plus sweetened carbonated drinks or beer. For dinner, you start with wine or beer, or other alcoholic drink served with cheese nibbles, potato chips, pretzels, dips and tortilla chips. Then you have some fried chicken with French fries or a pizza laden with sausage and cheese.And when the kids are tucked in, your husband is out of town, you jump into bed with anyone who takes your fancy.But in the back of your mind, you know something has to change. I’m proud of you. You are trying to grow up, to be the mature, caring, responsible human being that will have a positive influence on the children you brought into the world. The self centered, self indulgent, narcissistic child you once were is disappearing, at long last. Think about some of these little things, one at a time. Now, you are taking the first step to climbing a wonderful mountain, meeting the challenge of life, growing up at last. Monday morning, come with me. We’re going shopping, kids in the car or at the neighbors, or at school. Don’t look for parking spots close to the store. Park the car as far away as possible so you and the kids have to walk. If you have a toddler, pop him or her into the first cart you can find, and push it to the store. It’s good for your heart. Who needs a gym? Buy only what’s on your list, for dinner: jasmine rice, brown rice or plain white rice, chicken parts, broccoli, fresh fruit, and the milk, orange juice your family normally eats, banana, grapes, pears.Drive back to the house and start the dinner letting the kids if they’re home play where you can supervise them. Prepare the dinner, a casserole with chicken and rice and refrigerate. (You do it now, reheat later because you know you will be too tired by 5 PM and you will run out and buy some fat filled junk takeaway).If the children are at home, have a snack with them, fruit and a drink. Then do something with them. City dweller, go to the park. Have races, play ball. Country dweller, have backyard races, play catch, ride your bicycles, play jump rope. For lunch, have the old-fashioned peanut butter sandwich with grape jelly and a glass of milk and don’t ask them what they want. Just give it to them. OK. For the afternoon, it’s more of the same. No sitting. No giving your children an opportunity to sit watching the mindlessness of television. By interacting with them, these are some of the subtle benefits you are developing: their ability to be creativetheir ability to organizetheir ability to think and choosetheir ability to use their brains and their muscles, especially those young hearts and yours as welltheir understanding of what a parent should be. It’s a good start. You come back into the house. Kids get washed up, amuse themselves until dinnertime, eat the heated casserole, take their baths. You read a story and lights out. Whew, what a day. But that’s your job. And you won’t need a sleeping pill, I promise. Is there an alternative? Sure. Decide it isn’t your job. Let television, electronic games, celebrity sleaze, and gutter style music be the major influences in their lives. But remember. Children are pretty much programmed by the time they are six. By the time they reach 13, if not before, they’re all but finished. The only thing certain is that it will be no one’s fault but your own if results are negative. However, you will probably be self-indulgent. You will lie to yourself. It was the children’s father, the school, the teachers, the neighborhood, the friends. No, I don’t think so. It was the five bad habits. But it’s not too late. Take a look at yourself. No fibbing allowed. Start today. Kick the bad habits, forever.


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