What do you do when your toddler picks up your bad habits?

[ChocoMeijin]

Everyone has bad habits, how do you curb yours to prevent your child from picking it up?!

I have the bad habit of saying 'Fiiiiiiine' or 'it's fiiiiiiine' a lot to my mom Because she asks me a lot of silly questions or gives me parenting 'advice' or tries to overcoddle DS ('oh he got a few grains of rice on his hand let's wash his hands right in the middle of eating!' 'it's fiiiiiiiiine he's going to get more on his hands anyways!'). Today DS did the same thing, saying 'fiiiiiiine' when i asked him to do something he didn't want to do but he did it anyways. I thought it was funny and then immediately imagined him older saying it and was put right off.

DS is 18 months. I don't want this to become a 'thing' but i don't know if i can curb myself 100% of the time or eubstitute 'ok' instead! :/ i have to parent myself! Gah!!!

[Leiiki]

I'm interested to hear responses. I do try to curb myself in some things, but other habits (like blowing on my hair) are so unconscious that I don't even notice them until DD copies me.

[tallanvor]

Depends on the habit. If it is something I don't feel is good for them, I don't need to be doing it, either. When your kids start doing it, it brings it more to your attention, so you are more aware of when you are doing it. Some people have others help discipline them. For instance when someone calls you on your bad habit, you have to put a dime or something in a jar. Empty it each night, perhaps keeping track of how many were in there, and start over. The more it is pointed out, the more likely you are to change it. Prayer and sheer willpower are large components, though.

[nicolemariep]

Toddlers are magnifying mirrors of us. I didn't realize how much I yelled at the dog until my son started to copy me. I was horrified. Now when I catch him copying a bad habit, I tell him that it's naughty or not nice and that he reminded mommy not to do it either.

[jbug_4]

Stop doing it. Most of mine are words I use a lot, like- actually. I use actually a lot. When one of the kids starts saying it on a regular basis then I stop. So far we have cut- actually, seriously and you've got to be kidding- out of the vocabulary. Hearing them say it every sentence makes me realize how much I say, which makes it easier to stop. Also makes me realize how annoying it is. And I do the same as pp too. Telling them its not nice and neither one of us should do it. I make a point of apologizing when I do something bad that I don't want them doing- like yelling at the dog or cussing when drop something, etc.

[jbug_4]

Originally Posted by nicolemariep Toddlers are magnifying mirrors of us. I didn't realize how much I yelled at the dog until my son started to copy me. I was horrified. Now when I catch him copying a bad habit, I tell him that it's naughty or not nice and that he reminded mommy not to do it either.

Yeah. The good side to that is though when you catch them doing something good. The first time dd picked up her "crying" baby and started singing my made up song (I can't seem to remember the words to Hush, Little Baby so I make up words as I got) it made me feel really good. She even said some of the same lines. Or the first time I saw her ask another kid at the park that fell down "are you ok sweetie".