Healthy Living A child must be told the importance of eating vegetables and other nutritious food. He/she should understand that exercising daily or playing outdoors is essential for good health. Also, make your kids aware of the bad habits, like smoking, drinking, or doing drugs. Tell them that it does no good, but only harms them and their near and dear ones. Being Respectful Children are born innocent and are really good observers. They pick up signals and instructions on how to live, by noticing their surroundings. They must be taught to respect not only elders, but also kids of their age group. They should be polite and respectful while talking to others. The best way to inculcate this habit in your child is by being respectful yourself. As a parent, it is your duty to set a good example for your child, only then will the child listen to his elders. Managing Manners Many times, we watch children behaving with a lot of aggression and arrogance. They bully the younger ones and make hurtful remarks. Throwing tantrums also stems from their tendency to be stubborn. If you notice these traits in your child, then it is time you sit down, and make them realize that their behavior towards others is wrong and that they should treat everyone equally. If you feel that your child is aggressive, then help him to develop the habit of controlling his anger and calming down. Also, as a parent, you should be alert about your kid's safety and protect him/her from getting teased or bullied. Being Human A child must be taught to be humble, loving, and treat everyone equally. A kid who is helpful to everyone will automatically inculcate humbleness. The habit of helping old people, or grandparents in various tasks, like carrying groceries or crossing roads can be easily incorporated in a child. He must also not be cruel to animals and should learn to be compassionate and forgiving. Personal Hygiene Other than these habits, maintaining basic hygiene also shapes up a kid's personality. He should brush his teeth before going to bed, cover his mouth while sneezing, or coughing, wash hands properly before and after a meal, and also after visiting the bathroom. Truth Saves Instruct your children to always tell the truth, as lying will complicate the situation. They must learn to admit their wrongdoing, whether done deliberately, or accidentally. They should learn to apologize instead of crying and/or running away. Courteous Besides the above qualities, a child must learn to incorporate the four magic words -- "please," "sorry," "thank you," and "you're welcome." Also, children must not interrupt elders when they are talking. Mind Your Language A child must refrain from insulting adults, or other children. He has to learn not to use abusive or foul language. This is something that you, as a parent, must be very careful about. While watching a game, or arguing about something, be sure not to swear in front of your kids because they pick up these things very quickly, and before you know it, they may embarrass you in front of others. Confidence Parents must work towards instilling confidence in children. This is important, as many character flaws occur because of low self-esteem. They must be taught to value the self-esteem of others and never indulge in any behavior that can harm someone's self image. A child should not to be judgmental about appearances, or circumstances of other people. Teaching him never to judge people based on their face value is another good habit. Enjoy Reading Teach your children to study and gather new knowledge. Make them read at least one new book every month, ask them to keep a journal, or write things that they learned from the book. Reading will definitely take them places, improve their imagination, and enhance their vocabulary. Independence Adult life could be complicated, if you don't teach your children the basic survival skills, like cooking, washing, cleaning, the value of money, healthy thinking, being punctual, and doing things by themselves. If you don't do so, then they would constantly be relying on you to help them finish their work. Start by making them responsible with small things, and reward them for fulfilling their tasks. Grateful You could ask your child to recall all the good things that happened during the day, and spend the next few minutes, thanking and being grateful about it. There are so many things we take for granted, such as family, food, clothing, shelter, electricity, water, money, ability to see, read, and write, etc. Teach your child to be grateful about these things, and in turn, you will be laying the foundation for him to become a responsible adult.