The Key to Starting a New Habit with Your Kids ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin
I’ll always remember the time I heard an experienced mother of nine speak at a conference. As a mom of only one tiny infant, she seemed like a mothering giant in my eyes.
Her words have stayed with me:
“What becomes a habit doesn’t become a battle.”
Makes sense, doesn’t it? Take something like brushing our teeth. For most of us, we never think about this daily task – we know when to do it and we just do it.
We don’t have to wonder, “Should I or shouldn’t I? Do I want to or don’t I?”
It’s the same for our kids.
And that’s why the key to starting a new habit with your kids is just that…imperfectly starting it.
I am thankful that when my kids were littles we taught them to help in small ways around the house, stay in their bedrooms in the morning until an agreed upon a time, declutter their toys (with help and encouragement, of course), and have an afternoon rest period.
We developed these habits by deciding they were important enough to stick with through the awkward and difficult moments.
Change is hard and results in grumbling from young or old alike. New habits are never easy to begin.
But if we persist with what truly matters to us, we eventually reach that place where life flows from one habit to the next – imperfectly, for sure, but within the priorities we value and hold dear.
Is there a habit in the back of your mind? One you sense is right for your family? May I encourage you to take a tiny step toward starting it today?
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