If you’re single, you might feel like you can do anything you want. You can have a candy bar and a beer for dinner, or you can stay out all night with no one to ask where you’ve been. This sounds like the ideal life for some people, and they might not partner with anyone or have kids because of it.

However, many people have a family eventually. That might mean marriage or cohabitating with someone. It may mean that you have kids or that you have a blended family if the person you’re dating has children from a previous relationship.

Once you’re in this new situation, it’s probably not realistic to think that you can behave as you once did. You should modify your behavior as an example for your family. The children, in particular, will see you as a role model, and you should take this responsibility seriously.

We’ll go over four ways you can change your behavior that your family is sure to notice and appreciate.

You Can Sell Your Motorcycle

Many people who are consummate motorcycle riders enjoy it. You might own a motorcycle, and perhaps you have enjoyed riding it for years.

Once you have a family, though, you should consider selling your motorcycle or trading it in for a safer vehicle. Motorcycles come with a high fatality rate, even if you wear a helmet and pads.

If you get yourself a sedan or something with better protection, your family will see that, and they’ll thank you for it. They’ll know that you want to be safer for them so that you can watch your kids grow up and spend time with your spouse or partner.

Also, if you give up riding, you’ll never have to worry about what to do following a motorcycle accident. That’s not a scenario that you’ll ever encounter.

You Can Cut Back on Your Drinking

Maybe you also enjoy the occasional adult beverage, or perhaps more than one. There are plenty of alcoholics and problem drinkers out there.

If you’re single, you can do as you like, but if you have a family now, you know that your kids and partner or spouse can see when you’re indulging too much. They might not like the person you become when you drink. You might become belligerent or abusive.

Your family members deserve a role model whose personality does not change when they consume alcohol. If you know that it’s a problem for you, seek treatment or do whatever else you have to do to cut back. You may not have to give up drinking entirely if you can enjoy a single beverage from time to time.

Cut Back on Recreational Drug Use or Eliminate It Entirely

Recreational drug use is the same. When you’re single, you can do it, but once you have a family, you need to think about how that behavior potentially affects them.

If you’re high, you might get in a car accident while your family is in the car with you. That endangers them, and they can also probably tell that you are acting differently.

If you have friends you used to get high with, you can explain to them that you have different priorities and that you no longer want to engage in that behavior. If they refuse to accept that, then you may have to consider moving on from them. You need to prioritize your family since they are your dependents.

Drive More Safely

You might be an individual who loves to speed when you’re on the highway. Perhaps you run the occasional red light or blow through stop signs if you’re sure that there are no cops around.

This is dangerous behavior at any time, but if you have a family now, you should stop doing those things. Drive according to the speed limit, and halt your vehicle completely at stop signs. Don’t speed up to make it through yellow lights.

Remember that you have family members in the car with you, and if another vehicle hits you, it might not be just you who gets hurt. Also, if your kids see safe driving behavior from you, they will likely drive the same way when they get their licenses further down the line.

For many people, becoming part of a family can change their entire way of looking at the world. You can become more responsible, and you’ll often find that you don’t miss the way you used to be.