Inspired by a website that I recently visited, I decided to incorporate the 21-day challenge concept into my Blog.

THE CONCEPT

I am putting together 21 different posts that cover what I feel are the 21 most important things for Smart Parents to consider when raising Healthy Kids. These posts come from my experience as both a pediatrician and a parent. Since there are hundreds (if not thousands) of different considerations when raising kids, I will undoubtedly inject some of my own bias. However, I will always do my best to distinguish between statements supported by fact and those of mere opinion.

I will approach each day with three things in mind:

1. Your health
2. Your finances
3. The health of your kids.

While many people may think the first one has little to do with the health of kids, I would argue just the opposite. Habits are major determinants of the long-term success of children. While there are many different influences on the development of these habits, parents are certainly the biggest. Parents who smoke tend to have kids that smoke. Overweight parents tend to have overweight kids. More importantly though… Parents who are healthy tend to have kids that are healthy!

As for finances, this may seem a little counter-intuitive placed on a Blog about Healthy Kids. Of course, we would all agree that poverty adversely affects the health of children. However, affluenza and the western life-style can be just as damaging to the long-term health of children. One of the most obvious manifestation… financial stress is the leading cause of divorce in the United States.

Lastly, most parents tend to focus on the rare and sensational reports of things (like meningitis or cancer) as the major threats to the health of their children. While these illnesses can truly be devastating, the real health risks your child faces are probably lurking right under your nose. I like to call these cultural pathogens (disease causing agents) and many of them will make an appearance during the 21-day challenge.