HEALTH HABITS
Habits are a great part of life. The forming of proper ones should have more attention than is usually given to them. Habits is a tendency of mind to do that which it has done before. When considered in this simple way habit becomes one of the great forces in our lives. It is by taking advantage of this fact that we are able to develop rapidity and efficiency in movement. This shows itself in playing games or musical instruments and in later life in the operation of machines in office and factory.
Every child begins to form habits with his first actions. He has his individual way of dressing, which is simply the result of having repeated this method several times. Each repetition adds to the strength of the habit.
To correct a habit it will be necessary for you to suggest a new method and see to it that it is repeated a sufficient number of times to become the stronger tendency. No habit is or can be formed without the element of repetition.
Realizing that children are forming habits which will follow them through life should suggest to the parent the importance of consciously guiding the child in their formation. Do not allow careless, inefficient, dawdling methods to become fixed. Of course, these may in later years be changed to more efficient methods by the child himself, but it will be at the expense of considerable effort and loss of time. On the other hand, many children will not correct the habits and will be handicapped by them all through life.
There are certain simple regulations of health that are of vital importance to the life success of every one and the parent should attend to their becoming habits while the child is small.
Mental efficiency and accuracy are quickly influenced by bodily conditions. Poor health or physical inability are never accompanied with 100% mental efficiency. You may at once think of some examples of men of high mental caliber who were deficient and handicapped by physical disability. This is sometimes the case, but it is an exception, and an illustration of success won, in spite of difficulty. Think of what such an indomitable spirit could have accomplished in a more perfect physical body.