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I’ve written before about how I’ve changed since having my children.

I think we all do.

I’m not sure you can bring a new life into this world and not have it affect you and the way you see things, at least a little bit.

We all want a bright future for our children.

For me this means raising my children to be a real mixture of things.  Considerate, loving, strong, caring, and hopeful, for a start.

It also means being aware of the impact my actions have on the world around us.

Six out of ten parents say that they’ve started to live in a ‘greener’ way at home at the suggestion of their children.  Which I think is a great sign that we’re all starting to think more about how the little things we do at home can really add up to a big impact on the environment and the future for our children.

Here are my thoughts on the little steps we can take for a brighter future.

For our children’s future.

• Be aware of the words we use when we talk to or about them.  I think it’s really important to be aware of the labels we might be giving our children.  I wrote a post about this recently, and how I think it’s best to talk about a child’s actions rather than them as a person.
• Don’t talk negatively about your body in front of your child.  They pick up on everything, and need us parents to set an example of having a positive self-image.
• Let them be their own person.  So often you see parents put their hopes and dreams onto their children.  Pushing them to achieve things they wish they’d achieved themselves.  Or making them take part in activities and hobbies that they (the parent) want them to do.  Instead I believe we need to listen to our children.  To get to know who they are, and what they want from their lives.  So much of parenting for me is following my children’s lead.
• Let them see you take care of yourself.  So often we look after everyone else’s needs and put our needs at the bottom of the pile.  And while it’s great for our children to know that they’re important to us, and that we’ll always take care of them, I think it’s important for them to see us value ourselves too.  So let them see you treat yourself to a lovely bubble bath, and a gorgeous smelling body lotion.
• Encourage them to question things.  Curious children, who question what they’re told and what they see going on around them, are the ones who will spot what’s wrong with the world and come up with ways to make it better.
• Don’t limit them because of their gender.  Encourage them to pursue their interests, even if those interests aren’t traditionally ‘for boys’ or ‘for girls’.  Let them follow their hearts and find their passions.

For the future of the world.

• Use less water and lower temperatures when we do the laundry.
• Be generally aware of how much water we’re using.  So turn the taps off when brushing our teeth, take quick showers rather than baths and think about getting a toilet hippo to reduce the amount of water used to flush the toilet.
• Create less waste.  Now, I’m not saying we should all be aiming for zero waste.  I mean, if you can get there I think it’s amazing, but I’m not sure how achieveable it is for most families.  But we can all be more aware of the waste we’re creating, and do our best to recycle as much as we possibly can.
• Stop using disposable plastic bags.  We’ve had the 5p charge in Wales for 5 years now, so I’m really used to making sure I have a bag for life with me if I know I’ll be popping into the shops.  And we have a whole stash of them in the boot of the car for when I do the big shop!
• Drive less.  My husband and I both quite like walking.  So we’ll often walk to the shops, or the park, or the beach even, rather than take the car.  It’s great exercise for all of us, wears the kids out (bonus!) and is much better for the environment.
• Make others drive less.  Along the same lines as the last point, look for ways to reduce how much other people have to drive for you.  If you’re having your weekly food shop delivered, for example, look and see if they have a ‘green’ time slot that would work for you.  These are slots where the van is already due to be in your area.

I’m writing this post as part of the #BrightFuture challenge, which is sponsored by Unilever as part of their Bright Future initiative.

The bright future initiative focuses on the little things we can do and the small changes we can make that add up to a big difference.  It’s all about seeing how we can build a world where everyone lives well and lives sustainably.

I think as parents this is something we’re all aware of.

We want a great world for our children to grow up in.

And it seems we’re all pretty hopeful that we can achieve this.  Between 70 and 80% of parents believe that, compared with themselves, their children will live longer, have a better education and better job prospects.  All of which will lead to them enjoy life more, even if they’ll have to work harder to get there.

Persil are doing a huge amount of work to help more of the world’s children get an education.  They’ve partnered up with UNICEF to back a global initiative called ‘learning for tomorrow’ which will give children in some of the world’s toughest areas the chance to get a quality education.

I think this is something we can so easily take for granted, living here in the UK.  I know I felt like it was just a given that my son would go to school, and have access to quality teachers and materials and get a good education.  But for so many children out there it’s just not an option.

So I think it’s wonderful that steps are being taken by big companies like Persil to back projects that will help provide an education to these children.

What’s also really lovely is that 83% of children who were asked, said that they feel optimistic about their own future.

I think that’s a great sign that parents are working hard to fill their children’s lives with love and hope and passion to build this bright future.

And companies are starting to work on this too.

Creating awareness of the importance of embracing who we are and building young people’s self-confidence so they can go out into the world and make a difference.

The Dove self-esteem project is a great example of this.

The project has worked closely with leading psychologists, academics and experts to create materials and resources that help young people to develop a positive relationship with the way they look.

So far the project has reached over 19 million young people, which is just amazing.

I don’t want my children to think that the way they look is the be all and end all, but I do want them to know that they are beautiful, just as they are.  That the people they are inside, and the thoughts they have about themselves and the world around them make they truly beautiful.  What’s the quote from Roald Dahl?

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely”

Little by little, I really do believe we can build up our children to be strong, and caring, and full of hope.  And we can make a world that is cleaner and more sustainable.

I’m positive we have a bright future ahead of us.

This post is an entry for BritMums #BrightFuture challenge, sponsored by Unilever.