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« Toddler Step #1: Our Attitude Means Everything | Main | Week 16: 2nd Week of HyperStrike Trial, Oct. 21-27 »

Toddler Step #2: Our Actions Have Consequences

By Cindy | October 28, 2007

I finished reading Screamfree Parenting: The Revolutionary Approach to Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool a few days ago. I was very impressed by his discussion about offering children consequences to their actions. By giving them choices, they are “in control” of their consequences for the actions they commit. The concept sounds obvious, but if you’ve been battling a 2 year old or 3 year old, it quickly flees your senses. My toddlers have a great knack of creating situations in which I’ve not thought about what consequences they should face. For example, nap time turned into a power struggle when Asher was about 2 1/2. At first, I would place them in their room for about 30 minutes and they would play. Then they would get whiny. I started putting them to bed in separate rooms, but then they would run around to the other room. Now, if they want to remain in the same room, I say that they must keep their heads on their pillows. If they move their head from the pillow, then I will separate them into different rooms. I must also remain in the hallway to enforce the consequences of their actions. Nap time results in about 15 to 20 minutes instead of the hour to two hour struggles I was having with them earlier in the year. Have you thought about the consequences of your actions for yourself? I tend to not dwell on myself and don’t think about the full consequences of my diet and fitness routines. I’ve recently made a greater effort to really think about the consequences of my own actions. For each activity or item I am presented with, I try to formulate the consequence of each direction I choose for my actions. Here are some areas we can really work on to remember that our actions have consequences:

1. Grocery Shopping is my first line of defense: When I purchase products to fill our pantry and refrigerator, my choices help set the stage for my later actions. The consequence of less healthier food options in the pantry is one in which I will indulge. If my pantry is filled with healthier snacks and less fattening, sugary foods, then I’m less likely to give in to weak moments.
2. Drive past the Drive-Thrus: I have had a terrible weakness in stopping at drive Thurs during errands or busy days. When stopping at a drive-thru, the consequences of my actions usually result in a high calorie, high fat snack or meal. Actions I take to curb this tendency is to bring a mix of healthy snacks and fruits from home and keep on driving. I always have healthy snacks for my children. It doesn’t take me a minute more to pack the same for myself before leaving home. It takes me ten or fifteen minutes out of the way by entering a drive Thur and another hour or two to physically work off the unwanted calories and fat. Plus I’ve saved $5.00 to $8.00 by not pulling into that drive-thru.
3. Preventative health measures saves money: Vitamins, regular check ups, and healthy food choices help diminish the possible expenses of sickness. Sickness takes its toll on the whole family, especially when mom is sick. I know that I can’t prevent unforeseen illness, but I do have control over my body’s ability to defend itself from some sickness. When I take my vitamins, I suffer less from common colds and infections. My body is better capable of fighting back. Our body is our machine and with proper care it will operate at a higher capacity just as a car will work for years without major problems when provided with oil changes, fuel, and tire maintenance on a preventative maintenance plan.
4. How we eat affects our children. Children develop their eating habits based on how they are raised. Yes, they can change, but a great majority of our influence on their diet will affect them for many, many years after they leave the home. By providing healthy meals and developing an understanding of how food works, our children are given an education with real life examples on how food choices affect their bodies.
5. Our body benefits from exercise. Research continually proves the importance of exercise for our body. We are no longer a society in which the majority of people survive by doing strenuous work. Our body is healthier (less doctor visits and complications) when we strive to incorporate fitness into our lifestyle.
6. One Setback doesn’t mean the end of the Journey: The whole purpose of this series is to build upon and enforce the habits of living a healthy life. Poor decisions made yesterday or today do not mean that my future decisions and actions are doomed to failure. I am in control of committing actions that will result in positive consequences today and tomorrow. You are also in control of your actions to overcome any setbacks and reap the benefits of positive consequences.

Our fitness journey for a lifetime is filled with ups and downs. Our actions have consequences that may be fleeting or permanent. The great thing about exercise and diet is that we are making decisions on a daily basis that can be changed in a matter of seconds. What makes this challenging is that we are also faced daily with options that can result in negative consequences often. Over time, it feels as if our actions doom us to a permanent life of poor decisions in diet and exercise. It’s time to reset your thinking and look at your decisions on a daily basis as you would deal with your child. Talk your way through each decision. Ask yourself what the consequence will be for the food or activity you choose to do. Let your conscious help guide you in making decisions that result in the consequences you want! You might want to run that extra hour on the treadmill to enjoy that doughnut. When you think about your actions, and face the consequences, you are in control of the results. Ultimately, you make yourself accountable as you want your children to be accountable to their actions.

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Topics: Fitness Knowledge, Health Knowledge, Nutritional Knowledge |