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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : August 20, 2019 5:34 PM IST
You are the first person your kid looks up to. So inspire her likewise. © Shutterstock
All parents want the best for their children. But in today's fast-paced lifestyle, good parenting may sometimes get relegated to the sidelines. Lack of time and proper knowledge can make things worse. Things may get more complicated with modern parenting fads and unsolicited parenting tips from well-wishers. Sometimes, fatigue due to work pressures and stress can make a parent seem distant and cold to a child. This can have serious repercussions on a kid's health. At times like this, parents often wish that they had some good parenting tips to overcome these difficulties.
A research from Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center says that unsupportive parenting styles may cause health complications in children. This can affect them even in their adult years. Researchers found that telomeres of children who saw their mothers' parenting style as 'cold' were on average 25 per cent smaller compared to those saw their mothers as warm. Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of the strands of DNA, a measurable biomarker of accelerated cellular aging and increased disease risk later in life.
It was also seen that early-life stress is associated with shorter telomeres. Telomeres can be referred to as a genetic clock. But when there is more stress in early life, telomeres become short. This raises the risk of several diseases, including premature death.
Researchers say that mutations in genes maintaining telomeres cause a group of rare diseases that resemble premature aging. But some cells in the body produce an enzyme called telomerase. These can rebuild these telomeres.
During the course of the study, titled 'Cold parenting is associated with cellular aging in offspring: A retrospective study', researchers used data from 200 subjects. All subjects had participated in two prospective cohort studies of Seventh-day Adventist men and women: The Adventist Health Study-1 (AHS-1) with 34,000 Californians in 1976 and The Adventist Health Study -2 with 96,000 Americans and Canadians in 2002-2007. They took a close look at the impact of parenting style on telomere succession. They also examined the impact of education and body mass index (BMI) on the association between cold parenting and telomere length.
It was seen that association with parenting style was greatest among those with less education, and those who were overweight/obese or put on weight during the follow-up. This suggests that both higher education and normal BMI may provide some resilience against cold parenting and cellular aging.
It is very important for your child to feel special and loved. And, you can only ensure this by being a warm loving parent. We reveal a few parenting tips that will point you in the right direction.
All parents want their kids to be successful and positive people in life. But are you doing everything right to make sure that your kid is turning out to be the respectful, grateful and sincere person you want him to be? Here are a few parenting tips on how to build a positive home for your child.
Be the person you want your child to be. Appreciate your child's efforts all the time. It will encourage him to be more responsible. Try to involve your child in most activities at home and outside, so he sees and learns how you manage things. If you are rude with the maid or hawkers, your child will pick this quality from you and behave the same way. So, make sure you set the right example for your child to be respectful of others. You are the first person your kid looks up to, so inspire him likewise.
Start being positive if you want to encourage everyone else at home to be positive. If your little monster wants to scribble on the walls, let him. By not letting him do what he wants, you are restricting him to explore himself and his creativity. This will make it difficult for him to try out new things without hesitating when he grows up.
Follow the values that you wish to imbibe in your kid. Want your kid to be a good human being when he grows up and follow values like honesty, sincerity, kindness, etc.? Then you must practice these yourself first. If you are preaching about being an honest, kind and sincere person, make sure you are one. You don't want your kid to retaliate saying, 'Why do you stop me from doing things you yourself do?' Even if it is smoking or drinking, if you do it, your child is bound to pick up these habits when he grows up.
Indulge in outdoor games. Put the phone away for a while. Let your child take up some sports activities. Teach him how to play cricket or soccer or any other sport that both of you like. Or you can enrol him in sports classes. Playing outdoor games make sure that your child stays active, which increases his stamina. Don't turn him into a couch potato. An active kid is a happy kid.
If you're a working parent, make sure you talk to your kid every night about how his day was, what he did during the day, etc. Encourage him to share his ideas on certain issues. Your child is growing up and has his own perceptions about a lot of things. Ask him what he feels about marriage or friendship or anything that makes him think. This will also make your child feel heard and important. Don't judge him for his perceptions, though. Instead of pointing out his flaws, enjoy the little moments with him.
How you communicate with people in your house teaches your child a lot of things. If you have issues with your spouse, solve it in the bedroom or meet somewhere outside to sort it out. Quarrelling in front of kids has a very negative effect on them. Eventually, they lose faith in relationships and have a very negative approach towards most things in life.
The colours of your walls also, subconsciously, have an effect on your child's mental health. Use bright shades like light yellow or white or pink. The brighter the shades of the walls are, the merrier your child's thoughts will be. This will also help your child sleep better.
Did your little one draw a picture of a cat that doesn't look like a cat? That's okay. He's a child and will learn to improve as he grows. Appreciate his efforts and encourage him to draw a lot of other things too. This will boost your kid's self-esteem and make him a confident person.
