The Harsh Truth About Parenting (and Why Habits Matter)

Last weekend, my sister and I argued. She said my niece was still awake at 3:30 AM. I taunted her for it. Not my proudest moment.
But it made me think.
Everyone says, “Parenting is hard.” And it is when you’re making hard choices. The kind that helps kid grow strong in body and mind.
For this, I truly believe in keystone habits that kids should be taught early.
When I look around, I see what happens when we skip these habits. The compounding effect haunts us as adults - mentally, socially, physically.
Here are a few habits that I feel make a huge difference:

1. Physical Activity: Kids need to play. It builds health, resilience, and friendships.
2. Eat real food: Less processed food. Fewer sugary drinks. More home cooked food. Thankfully, we were not rich enough to eat out frequently.
3. Sleep on time: I am a night owl and would give anything up just to be able to sleep and wake up early.
4. Brush twice: I started this late but healthy teeth are a lifelong boon.
5. Breathe deeply: We are never taught this and thus we pant and breathe through our mouths, causing snoring amongst other complications
6. Read daily: Make reading a daily thing. Its so critical for creativity and focus, in a world that just doom scrolls.

Too often, we take the easy route - hand over the iPad, order in donuts, avoid the push to brush their teeth. But these small "easy" choices pile up the debt. Sooner or later, that debt has to be repaid.

I think back to my own childhood. Where discipline existed, it helped. Where it didn’t, I had to catch up later. This isn’t about blame. It’s about reflection and honesty, putting our ego aside for the child's future.