There are a few things that only a parent (and sometimes a pediatrician) will tell a kid. This is too bad, because these are things that kids need to know. It\u2019s the rare stranger who tells you there is spinach in your teeth. So when it comes to your child\u2019s body, accept that the buck stops with you and start a conversation. No one but you will tell your kid that he or she is \u2026<\/p>\n
Stinky<\/strong><\/p>\n They really won\u2019t, so teach your kid to get into the shower daily and to use the soap in there. While kids might want to skip the washcloth, let them know it\u2019s non-negotiable. Go ahead and offer one up.<\/p>\n Obnoxious<\/strong><\/p>\n In fact, the worse the behavior, the less likely your child is to hear about it from anyone else. That is, until it hits a breaking point where it is so bad that suddenly the whole world is aghast. Teaching kids manners can be as simple as reminding them to say \u201cplease\u201d and \u201cthank you,\u201d and telling them how important it is to look others in the eye.<\/p>\n Lazy<\/strong><\/p>\n Coaches can be helpful with this one, but only to a point. Since you live with your child, only you can really appreciate the massive degree of laziness that goes on day to day. Teach your child to turn off the device, get off the couch and start moving around. And because you are your child\u2019s most important example, you\u2019ll need to model the behavior by doing it yourself.<\/p>\n Eating Poorly<\/strong><\/p>\n I am guilty of this crime as much as anyone: When taking my kids out to lunch with their pals, I have watched as one friend scarfs down a horrendous meal of fried something. Remember to expose your child to a variety of tastes\u2014fruits, vegetables and otherwise. If you don\u2019t teach your own child how to make good food choices, no one else is going to\u2014even the pediatrician who is chaperoning the playdate.<\/p>\n Not Brushing<\/strong><\/p>\n Everyone knows when someone hasn\u2019t brushed her teeth. The great injustice is that we quickly acclimate to our own bad breath, so once we forget to do it, we are also often the last to realize. When your kid\u2019s breath reeks, make her go back inside and brush. Really, you are doing her a favor.<\/p>\n Not Wiping Well<\/strong><\/p>\n Skid marks in underpants are embarrassing for everyone. But believe it or not, your kid doesn\u2019t know why they are there until someone tells him. This is an important part of hygiene\u2014particularly for girls, who can wind up with urinary tract infections.<\/p>\n Lying<\/strong><\/p>\n Even if someone else catches them, when kids lie it is up to their parents to have the conversation about it. If you miss this opportunity, you will regret it later as your child decides to test the theory that you are immune to all lies.<\/p>\n Developing<\/strong><\/p>\n There is, in fact, something worse than your mom offering to take you bra shopping\u2014your mom NOT offering. When your child starts to go through puberty, don\u2019t ignore it! This is cruel. Talk about it, but do this privately and not at the family dinner table.<\/p>\n Not Perfect<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, parents should be cheerleaders for their kids. But there is a clear line between encouraging and exaggerating. There is nothing left to work toward if your 7-year-old thinks he is the world\u2019s greatest \u2026 whatever it is. Find a way to break it to your trophy-collecting offspring that there are others who are working at a higher level, and that it is a fun challenge to try to get there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are a few things that only a parent (and sometimes a pediatrician) will tell a kid. This is too bad, because these are things that kids need to know. It\u2019s the rare stranger who tells you there is spinach in your teeth. So when it comes to your child\u2019s body, accept that the buck […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1618,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family","category-self-help"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1618"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/jthopkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}