While I have always been very cognizant of the example I am setting for my daughter, as she gets older I am keenly aware of how important it is to pass down healthy habits. I want my daughter to know that she can talk to me about anything and that I am an open book. I feel so strongly about instilling lifelong lessons that will become everyday habits for her. Today I am sharing some of those lesson as well as skincare products we both love.
This sweet girl brings me so much joy. We have a very close relationship and one that I treasure. While we don’t always see eye to eye, we do always talk about it. And to me that is key. No matter what the topic is, we have always been able to crawl into my bed and chat about it.
HEALTHY HABITS
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Eat Well
We have a well-rounded diet with the children. They have grown up eating whatever we eat and they know what is healthy and what isn’t. I think leading by example is crucial when it comes to appropriate choices. We’ve never made food a major issue in our home and always talk about how it is to be enjoyed. As with most things in life, everything in moderation seems to work quite well. I will say that the more I involve my kiddos in the cooking process, the healthier they like to eat.
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Get Enough Sleep
This one has always been a bit of a challenge and we certainly missed out on many late night fun activities while the kids were growing up. We know our kids and we know they need sleep. They are both early risers and they both see how their moods are affected when they lack sleep. Sleep is never something I am willing to give up and I think both of our children have realized the same for themselves.
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Drink Plenty of Water
We push for drinking water all day long. It’s so important. We’ve had many conversations about how water intake definitely shows in your skin. We’ve never been a juice or soda family, so this one is fairly easy. Sometime it’s a struggle getting eight glasses of water down so I break it up and try to drink four glasses before lunch and three before dinner. I always have at least one with dinner. I figure as long as we are drinking water over anything else we are fairly ahead of the game.
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Take Care of Your Skin
Lately I’ve thought a great deal about how much my mom taught me my entire life. I am so thankful for the amazing example she set for how to love and how to parent. One thing we never really talked about though, is skincare and how to care for my skin. While it’s too late to learn her secrets, I do want my daughter growing up knowing how important it is to care for her beautiful skin. The younger you start the better.
We talk all the time about keeping her skin clean and healthy. While I am all about the anti-aging products, I want her to learn how important it is for her to keep her skin not only clean but moisturized. I’ve been using L’Occitane’s Almond Milk Concentrate for years and adore it. Recently I started trying their 3 in 1 Cleansing Water and Comforting Creams. The 3 in 1 Cleansing Water removes makeup, cleanses the skin and helps hydrate and soften. It’s so quick and easy. That’s when I realized it would be perfect for my daughter to try.
While she isn’t wearing makeup yet, one day she’ll appreciate that this product removes it and cleanses the face. I was so happy when I took it traveling. It made it so simple and I didn’t have to take three different products with me.
This Comforting Cream is dreamy. Even my husband loves the way it smells. The nice thing is that it doesn’t feel greasy at all. And I’ve even started using it on my hands. They feel incredibly soft because of the shea butter. I use the Ultra Rich Comforting Cream (25% shea butter) when my skin is extremely dry and the Light Comforting Cream (5% shea butter) on a daily basis.
Shop These Products
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Get Moving
We are an active family and with sports it’s pretty easy for the kids to stay moving. We are fortunate to live in a climate that allows for walks and outdoor activities on a daily basis. I think getting up and getting outside does wonders for the mood, too.
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Alone Time
This is one that I think many people overlook or don’t chat about. I think children need to know that alone time is not only enjoyable but necessary. When my children were very little, my mom taught me that they shouldn’t be entertained all the time. Children need to learn to be alone and enjoy that time. Whether its reading, listening to music, putting together a puzzle or just praying, solitude is precious and everyone needs a little bit of it. I do think it’s vital to feeling secure and confident, too. The woman who sits alone in a coffee shop and is content to enjoy her surroundings is a confident soul. I like that and want that for my daughter.
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Try New Things
One of the best lessons of all, right?! Push yourself to try new things. That’s where the growth and discovery happens.
I know this is just the tip of the iceberg with what I want her to learn. What other healthy habits are you hoping to pass down to your children?
*Thank you to L’Occitane for sponsoring this post.
Great post Courtney. I agree on all fronts. One of the things that I feel is extremely important in today’s world is teaching them a healthy respect for technology and social media. And, this begins at a VERY early age. My youngest as you may know, is a Speech Pathologist. The amount of time a young child, particularly those who are just learning to talk, spends on a tablet and such can greatly effect their language development. They see it on a daily basis. I think for older children and teens, it is important to teach proper social media etiquette. And limiting their time on it too is important. As well as being closely supervised by a parent. And the end of the day, as you mentioned, we as the parents lead by example.
I love this perspective. So very true. I remember talking on the actual phone when I was a teenager (a real phone!)! No worry of social media and all of the concerns involved. I miss those days. We have so many conversations about social media and it’s impact. No an easy world to navigate right now. Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Lauren. Have a great day. xo
I think learning a healthy way to deal with conflict is an important skill to pass along to our children. In all relationships, such as marriage, friendships, school, roommates, neighbors, teammates, siblings, coworkers, etc., there will be conflict. We talk to our kids about how it’s good to disagree and that it’s okay to “agree to disagree.” Conflict shouldn’t be avoided, but handled in a way that continues to build a great partnership.
Yessssss! This is so spot on. I absolutely agree. And I truly think it something that has to be taught. I love you said it should be “handled in a way that continues to build a great partnership.” A life lesson that is priceless.
Courtney, you and Ryan are doing such a fantastic job raising the kiddos. Besides the qualities you mentioned, I appreciate how polite, respectful and thoughtful they are and how well behaved they have always been in public (read – restaurants & church)! And you have taught them how to deal with allowances/monetary gifts including the need to both save and contribute to those less fortunate.
You are so kind to say that!!! Thank you. We feel lucky to be their parents. xo
May I ask how old your daughter is?
Junior high. xo
You make a great point about alone time. We’re noticing that our young kids more and more expect to be entertained 24/7. How did you get your kids to enjoy spending down time by themselves? Appreciate any insights!
Thank you. I have my mom to thank for this. So I think it just starts young and instilling in them that time in their rooms or any room in the house where they are alone is great. We often “power down” and just say why don’t you go work on Legos or put a puzzle together? Why don’t you go read for 30 minutes? Why don’t you clean your room while you listen to music. I think you discover what type of calming mechanisms work, too. For instance, when my daughter would be upset we would tell her to go practice the piano. It always calmed her down. Such value in finding things that help us all deal with our emotions. I hope that helps a bit. I also think we as parents can’t feel guilt for saying no every once in a while when asked to play. Alone time is so valuable.
Courtney!
What a lovely post! My husband and I have so many talks about raising our 1 daughter and hopefully more kiddos in this go go go environment. My mom also taught me it’s okay to be alone, and even board! That’s when creativity kicks in and you learn so much about yourself. I see the importance of that now as an adult! I love a cozy night where my daughter is sleeping and my husband might be out watching a game with his buddies! Peace and quiet for me.. does so much for the soul! Anyways thanks for putting these points out there! I stand by you with saying a mom is the most influential role model for a young girl!
Thank you! Oh I love all of this! Yes!!! It’s so important and I love that your daughter will learn that from you. Gosh, the older we get, we sure do value peace and quite every now and again. xo