Moderation - Raising Kids with Moderation in Today's World!

In what area of your life do you wish there was more balance? Do your kids need moderation in specific areas of their lives? Are you protecting your child and yourself from the stress of excess?

In today's world, raising kids with moderation is vital for you and them. They learn about balance when they understand that everything is to be taken or used in moderation.

Discovering balance and moderation is necessary for all things and helps them learn about the pros and cons regarding numerous topics.

Opportunities

Opportunities to teach your child about moderation appear more often than you might realise.

Talking to a child about balance, moderation, and excess can happen when they eat too many lollies and biscuits or drink too many soft drinks.

It impacts how they feel emotionally and physically. Ask them how they think about being excessive if and when they do this.

Many things are off-balance in our communities at the moment. Large numbers of people are experiencing the stress of excess alcohol, drugs, gambling and food, to name a few.

As your child ages, they will also make decisions about these issues. So, teaching them moderation helps them recognise if and when their behaviour is balanced or excessive.

Observation

Parenting is more straightforward when moderation is role-modelled in everyday life - and the sooner, the better.

Some children are watching their parents cling to their mobile phones, and they can become addicted to screens from an early age.

Children want what they want, and they want it now.

The younger they are, the more difficult it is for them to reason with them because they are too young to comprehend the concept of moderation.

They don't comprehend that too many biscuits could result in a tummy that aches.

Self-Regulation

When children learn about balance and moderation, they observe what others and themselves do.

As a teenager, they understand the importance of spending time with friends and studying and realise that taking frequent short breaks when studying for hours is essential.

As children learn about one character trait, they also learn about others. Moderation requires self-discipline. Knowing how much chocolate, water or exercise is good for the body. Children learn about self-discipline and to self-regulate.

A study about Impulse Control found that self-discipline is a stronger predictor of success than IQ, highlighting the value of controlled behaviour.

Then again, there's always an exception to the rule, as they say - I suspect it's love - you can never love your child enough, can you? Love your child sufficiently so you can provide them with the self-awareness and self-discipline to overcome whatever challenges come their way - because we all have them.

Teaching moderation isn't about restricting your child's freedom or making life dull—it's about equipping them with the tools to lead a balanced, fulfilling life.