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caption68 goodkids. THE KEY TO RAISING A HAPPY, HEALTHY CHILD IS TO FOCUS ON BOTH THEIR MIND AND BODY, WRITES PATRICIA FLOKIS PHOTOGRAPHY CORBIS / GETTY IMAGES / PRUE RUSCOE/ BAUERSYNDICATION. COM. AU A ll parents want their children to be healthy, so we serve up nutritious meals, encourage them to have a run in the backyard and remind them to brush their teeth at night. But for total wellbeing, a child also needs a healthy mind. So how do we raise a well-rounded human being – someone who is mentally strong, physically fi t, resilient and compassionate to others? Here, we look at some key components. WHAT YOU CAN DO “Start by not giving kids everything they ask for,” says child and adolescent psychologist Dr Emma Little. “It might be that they need to learn to wait, they need to earn what it is they want or sometimes you just need to say no. This way, when they do get things, it’s special and a gift rather than a right.” Little has this trick to help your child recognise how fortunate they are, without making them feel guilty: “I tell children, ‘Don’t always compare yourself upwards to kids who have more. Look around and you’ll always notice kids who don’t have what you have.’” This helps them see that not every child has the same material wealth or opportunities as they do. Teach them gratitude Can teaching your child to appreciate what they have make them happier and healthier in the long term? It seems so. Research from California State University found that thankful teens were more satisfi ed with their lives and less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than less appreciative teens. The four-year study of adolescents found the most grateful were 17 per cent happier than the least grateful. In that time, they also experienced a 13 per cent drop in negative emotions and a 15 per cent drop in depressive symptoms. “These fi ndings suggest that gratitude may be strongly linked w

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caption69 PHOTOGRAPHY CORBIS / GETTY IMAGES / PRUE RUSCOE/ BAUERSYNDICATION. COM. AU Bin the negative food messages Having a positive relationship with food will not only help your child maintain a healthy weight, it will safeguard their mental health, too. Children and teens who binge eat are not only more likely to be overweight or obese, they are twice as likely to become depressed and are more at risk of taking marijuana and other drugs, reports the US journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Binge eating is characterised as overeating with a loss of control. “Parents need to tell their children that food is to be enjoyed, not feared,” says psychologist Jennifer Garth. “When a child starts to feel guilty or anxious around food, they’re more susceptible to becoming chronic dieters or falling into bad eating habits.” WHAT YOU CAN DO “Teach them that food is energy, but to take pleasure in delicious food,” says Garth. “Don’t label it ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or use it to reward or punish your child. And don’t use food to comfort them or they will reach for it every time they feel down. Instead, help your child to listen to their body. Encourage them to eat slowly so there’s time for their hunger signals to kick in. If they’re overeating, say, ‘Have you had enough?’ rather than ‘You’ve had enough.’” Eating together regularly will also give your teen’s mental health a lift, reports a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. “More family dinners related to greater emotional wellbeing, more helpful behaviour towards others and higher life satisfaction,” says study co-author Frank Elgar. gm1213kid4p69 - 68 2013-10-15T10:28:57+11:00

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caption70 Train them to care An empathetic child might be said to have a big heart, but he or she is more likely to have a healthier one, too. A University of British Columbia study found that high school students who spent one hour a week helping younger students in local after-school programs had lower levels of infl ammation and cholesterol and lower BMIs after 10 weeks than those students who hadn’t started helping out yet. “The volunteers who reported the greatest increases in empathy and altruistic behaviour were the ones who also saw the greatest improvements in their cardiovascular health,” says study researcher Hannah Schreier. Promote the benefits of exercise Fit kids are more likely to become fi t adults, so ensuring exercise is a part of their everyday routine is crucial. “Children aged three to 18 need at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise a day,” says dietitian Melanie McGrice of Melbourne’s Nutrition Plus. Helping them get fi t is the gift that will keep on giving. A US study found fi ve-year-olds who exercised a little more than recommended had less body fat at age eight and 11 than fi ve-year-olds who didn’t, which suggests being active has a protective eff ect on metabolism. Research shows exercise helps children better cope with stress, while adolescents who take part in team sports are at lower risk for mental health problems. A US study also found that the fi ttest Year 6 to 8 students had the highest test scores and better grades. WHAT YOU CAN DO “Empathy is a capacity to think beyond our own needs and feelings,” says Little. “Empathetic children are liked by their peers because they’re less likely to bully or hurt others. They’re also more likely to feel good about themselves.” How can we best develop empathy in our children? “Start by talking to them about how other people might feel,” suggests Little. “For example, explain, ‘When Laura didn’t get a turn batting, she

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caption71 Our fi rst instinct might be to shield our kids from stressful situations, but not teaching resilience can be detrimental to their wellbeing. A recent study found children who avoided stressful situations, like making a speech, were even more anxious a year later compared to those who had faced their fears. Being resilient could also help keep their weight in check. A study published in the journal Appetite found children who react poorly to stress have higher BMIs and tend to eat when not hungry compared to children who don’t get as frazzled. WHAT YOU CAN DO “Instead of telling your children what to do, show them what they can do,” says Little. “Many children aren’t taught to problem-solve because we tend to fi x things for them. But if they can look at a problem and generate a few options about what they can try, then they’ll feel more in control.” “Children have an amazing ability to magnify a little problem into an enormous one and react accordingly,” says Little. “Show your child how to break a problem down into manageable parts, then encourage them to have a go – it doesn’t have to be the perfect solution – and see what works for them,” she adds. Help them cope with stress 16515_ WT O_ Wa r t -Of f - 1 2013-09-20T 11:25:50+10:00 gm1213kid4p71 - 71 2013-10-21T14:54:23+11:00