Six things grandparents got right

• Early to bed, early to rise

Research by the National Sleep Foundation has found that most kids today do not get the sleep they need;  just one hour less sleep than kids need each night can lower their ability to concentrate in class to that of children two grade levels below.

Beyond toddler meltdowns, lack of sleep has been linked to attention problems, dulled memory, hyperactivity and obesity.

•  Go outside and play

At least one hour outside every day rain or shine said Dr Benjamin Spock.

Now even in the age of hand sanitisers and hovering parents, the benefits of unstructured play, running around, digging in the dirt are being recognised again.

It is good for kids to be on their own and with other children without such close parental supervision.

Unstructured play builds the imagination

• Manners matter

More people today are seeking a return to social graces they believe have been ignored too long.

A recent survey found that sitting down together for real, regular family meals has been linked to better grades for teens and a decreased likelihood of taking up smoking or abusing alcohol, among other benefits.

Remember when

•  families sat down to eat toghether each night and use real utensils, 
• children were taught not to slurp and
• encourage to say please,  thank you and ask to be excused from the table

• This is not democracy

Setting limits and standing firm as parents - instead of letting kids set their own rules - is now seen as a cornerstone to ensuring a happy and healthy future for children.

Chores are once again beeing seen as good for the soul. Parents are going back to the art of household management and delegation helping the children learn

• how to help around the house
• how to be self sufficient
• how to work hard

• You get what you get

"You can't always get what you want" says the song and kids should not.

Due to the current economic downturn parents are moving away from high end distractions and back to simple pleasures

Parents are beginning to opt out of mass-consumption and teaching their children to ask not what they can get, but what they can do.

According to a recent survey more than  a third of families now volunteer together. That is an old fashioned value every generation can embrace.