Aside from keeping our children safe, one of the biggest parenting concerns we have is how to raise a happy child. Ultimately, we want our kids to have happy, meaningful lives. The good news is, it’s not hard to do if we do just a few simple things.
Every parent wants the best for his or her children. One thing that we all want for them is to be happy. At the same time, we, as parents, want to be happy too.
So, how do we raise a happy child and become fulfilled too? It’s easier than you think. Just follow the 5 simple steps below to find out how to raise a happy child.
How to Raise a Happy Child
The real secret of how to raise a happy child is not much different than the secret to our own happiness. Read on to find out how to meet your child’s needs to set the stage for a happy home life.’
1. Make Them Feel Connected
The emotional bond of a parent with their children is essential in promoting holistic development – emotionally, physically, psychologically and socially. When you establish an emotional connection with your child, she will never feel alone and neglected. She will feel loved and cherished.
When kids know that they are loved and taken care of, they will have the feeling of worth. This will help prevent the development of depression later in life. In fact, many children are suffering from childhood depression today. They feel persistent sadness and at the same time, hopelessness and struggle.
However, when they feel that they are connected to you emotionally, they have someone to guide them through the ups and downs of life. As a result, sadness and the feeling of being alone are warded off.
I always make my children feel loved in any way. I want them to be connected to me in many ways and feel comfortable telling me what they feel. This way, I know how to manage their fears and assure them that they’re not alone. As a result, I do not only make them feel happier but also prevent the emotions that could fuel depression.
2. Be Happy Yourself
How happy you are will eventually affect your children. When you’re stressed about work or taking care of the kids, you might end up being unhappy and miserable. As a result, your kids won’t be happy too.
If you feel a little stressed and tired of working long hours, try going out with your partner, friends or workmates once in a while. Sometimes, you can have your “me” time by going out shopping or pampering yourself at a spa or having a massage. This is what I do since I have a newborn baby and a toddler at home, I make sure after all the baby pee and baby poop I’ve gone through the whole week; I have this one day I can relax and unwind.
The bottom line is, if you’re happy and contented with life, so are your kids. Thus, find ways to become happy and eventually, your kids will feel the same.
3. Don’t Expect Perfection, Allow Space For Failures
Failing is a normal thing, especially for children. If you want your children to be happy, let them experience failing at times without the fear of you getting mad. When your children are always scolded or grounded for failing, for instance, in class, they will feel pressured to do better to please you. Sometimes, this attitude would foster being obsessive-compulsive.
Eventually, your kids do not like failures and would feel frustrated in school or even at home. Those parents who exaggerate the need for achievement are more likely to have children with anxiety and depression. For perfectionist moms, cool it. Let your kids be kids.
Learning to expect effort, not perfection, is the best way to let your kids enjoy life. Moreover, learn to praise the right things. Don’t just praise achievements and intelligence because, in the long run, your child may think the only way to please you if he or she strives to achieve more. The pressure placed on them may be too hard to bear, leading to a string of behavioral problems.
Praise the right things like being obedient, being responsible, helping with the house chores and making friends at school.
4. Teach Being Positive
Teach your children about being optimistic about life. If you don’t want to raise a surly teen, teach them about being positive at an early age. When they think positively, they become happier and less frustrated about their failures or problems. As a result, you child will be more confident about himself, and this can avoid the development of depression in later life.
5. Create Happy Activities
Children are happier when they spend quality time with you. Though for working parents, this can be really challenging. Sometimes, as much as we want to spend quality time with the kids, we end up working late or working even on weekends. Frankly, we need to work to make ends meet, to provide food and shelter for them and to give the best for our kids. Sometimes, this becomes a common dilemma among parents because the children need adequate attention too.
For me, since I work at home, this is rather easier than other parents out there who go to the office every day. I make sure I take an hour or two hours off each shift to spend time with the kids. In the middle, I always check on them to make sure they’re okay. During weekends, I make sure the family comes first – we go out, spend time together, travel or just hang out.
Our kids are important parts of our lives. When they are happy, we are happy. If you want to raise happy kids, start with yourself and work toward making them happy and contented too. Work-life balance is the ultimate key to making sure your kids are happy, even if they grow up as adults.
More Parenting Tips
I hope you found some advice above that will help you struggle less with how to raise a happy child. If you’re interested in more ideas for raising happy kids, you might enjoy some of these other parenting tips.
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