Good parenting involves more than just providing for your child’s physical needs. To make sure your children mature into caring, productive and well-adjusted adults, you also need to take care of their mental health. While there is no universal rule for raising happy, healthy children, mental health experts offer the following tips to help nurture your child’s emotional well-being:

* Respect your children. You can’t demand respect from them if you don’t give it. Don’t embarrass, insult or tease your kids. Children take their parents’ words to heart, so if you constantly put them down, they’ll develop low self-esteem. When you are angry or disagree with them, stay calm and keep your voice down. If you hurt your children, apologize.

* Set a good example. You can’t expect your child to live a righteous life if you aren’t. Your lifestyle and behavior serves as a model for your children. The best way to ensure your kids adopt good values is to live by them yourself.