Raising a Child and Teaching by Example

There are some things that we can teach our children indirectly, I realize this now. Somehow I always thought everything needs to be verbalized, like ‘eat your veggies’ or ‘pick up your toys’. But there are some concepts that you just cannot help but teach. For instance…

Being Frugal

I didn’t realize how frugality became ingrained in me until I was sent off to college and lived in a different environment. In the culture that I grew up in, being frugal is a good thing that is usually praised. Do I mean the people I interacted with haggled for the sport of it? Not exactly, but kids are usually told compliments just for saving up some extra coins from the allowance ‘for the rainy day’.

Diet

Some meat dishes that I know and love almost always included extenders like potatoes (adobo with potato) and the less expensive vegetables of the region. I understand that this is also a part of being frugal, because at that time, vegetables were still a lot cheaper than meat (it’s the opposite now).

With regards to eating vegetables, I can only conclude that kids will eat what you eat. If they see adults pushing aside some items on their plates (like peas, red bell pepper etc.), they’ll follow suit. I guess it’s safe to say that adults, especially moms, should take care to eat nutritious food in front of their kids so that the kids, in turn, will bring the habit to adulthood. It’s a win-win. Kids get to eat healthy, and moms don’t have to worry about weight or getting weight loss dietary supplements.