This is a collaborative post

Kids are a lot more perceptive than we give them credit for, which means that they pick up a lot from their parents. As much as we don’t like to admit it, a lot of the bad habits that your kids develop as they grow up are learned from you. That’s why it’s important that you set the right example for your kids and try to change some of the behaviours that you don’t want them to pick up on. These are some of the bad habits you need to kick when you have kids. 

Smoking 

Did you know that children are up to 3 times more likely to smoke if their parents do? It’s pretty tough to convince your kids that smoking is bad if they see you doing it, and being exposed to second hand smoke can cause children to start developing an addiction from a young age. A lot of parents that smoke will try to hide it away from their kids, but they always know. They can smell it on you and they will start to wonder why you keep disappearing outside every now and again. No matter how many times you tell them that it’s a bad habit and they shouldn’t start, seeing you smoke always means that they are less likely to take you seriously. Giving up is tough, but you need to try if you have kids. If you are really struggling, you should try an e cigarette for a while before quitting. If you get an e liquid mixing kit, you’ll save yourself a lot of money compared to what you would spend on smoking. You can use that money for a great family holiday, and your kids won’t pick up on your bad habits. 

Snacking 

If you tell your kids that they can’t have chocolate, but they’ve seen your secret stash in the back of the cupboard, they’ll use that against you. It’s hard to convince kids to eat well if you don’t do the same. When you are cooking for the family, always make sure that you’re preparing healthy meals for them, and cut back on the snacks. If the kids see you reaching for a piece of fruit instead of a bag of crisps, it’s a lot easier to convince them to eat healthy food. Try to find some healthy alternatives to your favourite snacks and you can encourage good habits in the kids from a young age. 

Stress 

The way that you handle stress has a big impact on your kids. If you are a person that responds badly to stress and freaks out, your kids are going to grow up having the same bad response to stress and this can even increase their chance of developing issues like anxiety in later life. It’s important that you find ways to reduce stress, like getting a massage or going for a run. If your children see that you have a healthy relationship with stress, they will be able to deal with it in their own lives. 

If you can kick these bad habits, you can make sure that your kids don’t pick up on them as they get older.