Renewal Voice
We all want physical and mental health, comfort and happiness in life. That is what is important for a successful life. We often say that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. The basis of this health is cleanliness. Cleanliness has always been essential for mental and physical health. Lack of cleanliness causes various diseases. Therefore, we all need to pay special attention to implementing these hygiene measures in the right way.
It is an important duty of parents to ensure hygiene habits in their children at a young age. The role of parents in their hygiene habits is very relevant. Parents need to pay special attention to teaching children hygiene habits and implementing them in practice. When children do not maintain proper hygiene, it shows the failure of parents’ responsibilities. Therefore, parents need to pay attention to their children’s hygiene matters with a sense of responsibility. Since children imitate adults, parents should be a good role model for their children by following their own hygiene habits correctly. Parents should regularly pay attention to teaching children daily hygiene habits and making their hygiene a habit. Parents should create awareness about environmental cleanliness among their children. Parents should make their children aware of the importance of hygiene in matters of health and the need to prevent diseases. Parents should allow their children to keep their home and surroundings clean, participate in household chores, and instill a sense of responsibility in them by giving them small responsibilities. Continuous monitoring and encouragement are helpful for this. The instructions that parents should give to their children in matters of hygiene should be loving. Parents should be able to correct their children lovingly without punishing or threatening them when their children do not maintain cleanliness. Parents should make their children understand the importance of hygiene. The constant attention, support, and example of parents are crucial in instilling good hygiene habits in children. There is a saying, ‘The habit of the kitchen is the habit of the kitchen’. It is true. Because, we should instill in children the habits that we should instill in them at a young age. Parents should instill hygiene habits in their children from an early age. Through this, children can ensure a healthy life, prevent diseases, and develop a good personality. Thus, parents should be good role models for their children and constantly convince them of the need to maintain cleanliness. If this happens, that habit will stay with them throughout their lives. As parents, we need to be especially careful to instill such things in our children. We should not hesitate to tell our children such things. We should be careful to bring our children to good habits. Parents should help their children in matters of cleanliness by explaining to them why cleanliness is necessary, praising them when they maintain cleanliness, giving them gifts, sharing their own experiences about the benefits of cleanliness, and promoting cleanliness at home and school in the same way.
We can find many words of God in the Bible that remind us of the need to maintain inner and outer purity. In Mark 7:15, Jesus says: “There is nothing from outside a person that can defile a person; but the things that come from within are what defile a person.” Parents need to convince their children about the need to maintain inner and outer purity. Parents need to teach their children to be as pure in spirit, mind, and heart as they are in physical purity. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, but you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit.”
Parents play a crucial role in instilling good hygiene habits in their children. The foundation of children’s lives is their good hygiene habits. If we teach children about cleanliness as a culture, we can create a healthy and good society. The right intervention, encouragement, and efforts of parents lead to the raising of a healthy generation. Thus, let us raise a generation that is healthy and has good hygiene habits.
Fr. Joseph Munduparambil CST
