Your daughter may still be a toddler, yet you sometimes think about the kind of mother she will grow up to be. Don't fret, there's nothing abnormal about it. It is okay to be a little far- sighted at times because if you want her to be a good mother, you have to start the groundwork early. Here's a DIY guide.
Lead her to eat healthy
SHe needs to learn to enjoy good food, naturally.
In the early years, it could just be a game of ensuring she has four colours on her plate; she will enjoy identifying the colours and will eat her veggies too. As she grows older, make sure you stock the refrigerator with healthy snacks, especially during the tween and teen years when regular meals are 'boring'. The other way to inculcate good eating habits is to get her into the kitchen when you are cooking, telling her casually why you do certain things, use certain ingredients.
Encourage her to try her hand at cooking.
Most children will try and eat even the veggies, if they've experimented with the dish themselves. " Try and eat together at least one meal. We eat out a lot as a generation and at erratic hours. However, one needs to make dinner hours family time. Even if you're eating after the children, get them to join you at the table or vice versa just for the chance to talk, exchange the day's happenings and bond better," says Dr Rachna Singh, lifestyle expert, Artemis Health Institute.
Push the right buttons
Be frank with your daughter and communicate your thoughts to her the way you would to a friend. " Communication should be on a daily basis. Don't lecture your daughter, rather talk to her; let her talk. This way she'll get around to discussing her life and problems in a natural way," suggests Dr Singh.
Riddhima Ahuja, a literature MPhil student, says, " I was a difficult child and always had my own ideas. My mother knew this and so, reasoned with me whenever she wanted me to act in a certain way. There was a time in my teens when I wanted to go bald. I mentioned this to her when she was preparing dinner. She heard me out and instead of a knee- jerk reaction, she smiled and went back to cooking. When I asked her if she was amused, she said, " No, but given the poor quality of your hair, I wonder how long it will take for you to grow them back!" That hit home! I realised that I didn't want to be bald forever and dropped the idea. When I become a mother, I'll figure out what works with my child specifically, instead of losing my cool! It'll make my job easier."
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Pass on some good habits: Wonder Woman - Who are you today?
Pass on some good habits: Wonder Woman - Who are you today?
