Page 42 - The Intentional Parent

Chapter Four Limit Setting
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world where people have a difficult time resisting unhealthy temptations like smoking, drinking too much, overeating, etc., it’s tough to disagree that self control is important--and that the best models for self control come from you.
Within a strong leadership model, you can teach self control by practicing it in your own habits (and to be perfectly blunt, if you are not in control of yourself, likely that you will not raise healthy, well functioning kids), and by teaching your children about the relationship between freedom and responsibility, by setting limits and then gradually reducing restrictions based on your child’s ability to show they can handle autonomy.
Do As I Say...
...not as I do. I would hate if someone were to point out my flaws and shortcomings and then suggest that these flaws are screwing up my kids.
Unfortunately there are instances where the habits and behaviors of parents do have a very negative impact on kids, and there are some very obvious ones. For instance:
If you want to reduce the chances of your kids taking up smoking (because it kills you), you shouldn’t smoke.
f you do not set limits for your children, they will not have a good reference for self control. They might learn self control from other important figures in their lives, but in a
The Intentional Parent by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D. 42