You can become a healthy role model for your child—even for your adult child.
Obviously, the earlier on you model healthy emotions and behavior for your child, the better. A child who grows up with a parent who is mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy will usually have a better chance of developing these qualities him or herself.
But sometimes, being a role model is deeper than merely being a responsible, thoughtful adult. Children see everything, and are often able to read what we really think, feel, and believe.
In the last few months, my program has been working with *Ryan, a 19 year old young man struggling with severe anxiety and risk-taking behaviors. He lives in a separate apartment attached to his parents’ home, but his mother does his laundry, drives him to his classes (he’s in college), and sends in a cleaning lady to clean his apartment. She and her husband pay all his living expenses (including home entertainment, gym membership, his phone bill–he gets a new iPhone each time a new type comes out)—even his vacations.
[For more of this story, written by Richard Zwolinski, go to http://blogs.psychcentral.com/...onest-role-modeling/]
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