Mild addictions involve any chronic, mindless conduct or mood. The most apparent ones are watching TV, eating too much, Internet surfing and playing video or computer games. But tons of other possibilities existspreading rumors, daydreaming, exercising, feeling sorry for oneself, shopping and the like. The majority of parents are not alarmed by these behaviors, believing rightly that they are "normal". These behaviors become abnormal and detract from your childs growth, however, when they become habits, robbing children of the time, energy and initiative to engage in more significant activities.

Children require alone time to reflect and explore. They need the space to think about whats important in their lives and to master knowledge and develop skills that will allow them to accomplish their goals. Soft addictions are foes of thought, exploration and skill development.

The spread of soft addictions has been thoroughly documented by the media. Many of these reports show that children spend more time than they have before sitting in front of computers, TV's and game screens.

Other researchers have found that a shocking percentage of children who are overweight, softly addicted to unhealthy foods including fast food restaurants, preoccupied with celebrity worship and dedicated to shopping is also increasing. Parents can have perspective and need to be responsible for helping their children control these addictions. All too frequently, they actually model behaviors that encourage kids to fall into soft addictions instead. For example, many parents return to their house from work and spend the majority of post-dinner hours watching television, they eat too much and some work out compulsively, unwilling to take a day off from their exercise even if they are greatly needed somewhere else. There are also parents who are examples of gossiping behaviors, spending hours every week e-mailing and/or calling friends about who is doing what.

Im definitely not suggesting that parents or children quit all their soft addictions at once. As human beings, most of us have some addictions. We can still live a full, meaningful existence if these habits are in our life, nevertheless, they need to be a minor part. We help many adults who admit the same exact thing about their lives: "There must be more than this."

There is! However, they wont find it until they redirect their time and energy to more conscious, fulfilling activities. This does not mean they have to try and save the earth and work in soup kitchens feeding the hungry (even though these are great activities). Reviving the art of conversation, spending time with friends and loved ones, going for walks in the woods, expressing their feelings to people they care about, listening to uplifting musicall this can add meaning.

It can also give a healthy behavioral example for their children. Consciously or not, kids are wonderful imitators, and softly-addicted parents usually produce softly-addicted kids. It is terribly hard for parents to get kids to quit watching endless amounts of television when they are guilty of the exact same kind of mindless, habitual behaviors. Parents will find however, that if they learn to spend their time more meaningfully, not only will their lives be more satisfying but theyll help produce more satisfying lives for their children. About Author :

Judith Wright is an author, speaker, and seminar leader. She has taught workshops on overcoming soft addictions and creating "More" for twelve years. You can contact her through her Web site at www.theremustbemore.com. See also Massive Personal Growth