Generally, kids love fun. In fact, they have lesser problems than any other people in this world simply because they have their parents to give them everything that they need. However, as they age, they become more exposed to different types of environment, which can play an important factor in achieving happiness. That’s why it’s crucial for parents to ensure that their kids are happy and well-raised as they grow no matter how far they go.
Below are my tips on how to raise happy kids:
# 1 Be Happy Yourself
This is the base to raise Happy Kids, the first thing parents should do is to focus on their happiness.
Happiness is contagious if kids have happy parents is more likely they are happy kids.
On the other hand, if parents are angry, depressed, unhappy they can easily transmit that to their kids, so be careful.
You might like to read: 12 Habits of Happy People
# 2 Give importance on mental health
Another tip on how to raise happy kids is to ensure that parents don’t show any signs of depression in front of their kids. Depressed parents usually struggle with parenting/child-rearing and may even forget to respond to their crying babies. The struggles experienced by their parents in rearing them may also aggravate their stress. Chances are, these kids can bring their parents’ struggles at school by being hyperactive, hard-headed and extremely playful to others.
However, researchers claim that positive parenting styles are not difficult to learn even if these parents suffer from depression.
# 3 Nurture the marriage
This plays an important factor on how to raise happy kids. Parents should not let their kids suffer from what they are going through as couples. Parents with marital instability issues may have kids who suffer from sleep disorders. Studies show that troubled marriages of parents who have 9-month old babies are linked to sleep troubles when they reach 18 months. It is mainly because the stress in marriage may be forwarded to the kids.
# 4 Built a close and positive relationship
Boys who have close relationships with their parents have lesser chances of developing behavioral problems at home and even at school. Same thing applies for girls. According to the Child Development journal, this close relationship provides “secure attachment” between the parents and their kids, allowing them to talk to their parents for comfort every time they need it. Before going out to a much wider environment, these parents already act as a “secure base” for comforting their children at home.
Close parent-and-children relationships are also essential when kids reach the adolescence stage. Another study shows that as adolescents, kids who are close to their parents make good romantic relationships because they already have the ability to create successful relationships by using their parents as models.
# 5 Learn to listen to your kids
Listening to your kids can definitely help to build a close relationship. To have a healthy and happy relationship, we need a good communication and a good communication doesn’t only mean talking, but also listening.
Here is my post about effective listening.
# 6 Spend time joking with them
As parents, it’s important to lighten up situations especially if these will contribute significant learning experiences to the kids. Research shows that parents who regularly exchange playful jokes with their kids have increased chances of setting up their kids for social success. When parents spend time to joke with their kids, they allow them to develop creative thinking, social and communication, and stress management skills. For all parents out there, don’t hesitate to play jester next time because the kids will benefit from it later.
# 7 Read with the kids
Parents who like to read with their kids can help improve their values. This improvement becomes more prevalent when they start to ask questions about what they have read. Answer those questions based on proper values.
# 8 Avoid aiming for perfection
As the saying goes, “nobody’s perfect”, so parents don’t have to torture themselves in setting impossibly high standards for successful parenting. Parents who always aim for perfection will eventually become more stressed and experience more struggles when rearing their kids. To avoid this, ignore all the pressure that parenting skills bring and focus on being relaxed in raising kids.
# 9 Always be Positive and teach Optimism
There’s no doubt about this: parents who tend to express negativity to their kids and treat them roughly will most likely trigger the development of aggressive behaviors. This is because expressing negative emotions to a 5-year old kid contributes to his behavioral aggression, which can continue later in his life, even to his future relationships. Whenever parents feel stressed or disappointed about something, they should try to divert their negative emotions to other things than expressing these to their kids. Aside from lightening up the current situation, it can also help in raising happy kids who are full of positivity.
Remember: Optimism is a happiness magnet.
# 10 Practice self-compassion
All parents must have self-compassion as a skill in order for their kids to become resilient to life’s challenges. What is self-compassion? It’s the ability to become mindful about things; thus, allowing a person to manage his emotions and thoughts without being repressed or carried away. It’s a form of recognition to accept problems and finding a way to solve them. Parents can use this skill in coping with the difficulties experienced by the family. By doing this, kids always have something to look up to parents who lead by example.
# 11 Learn to let go
As kids grow up, parents should allow them to experience and explore life. School-aged kids who have interfering parents have increased chances of becoming self-conscious, anxious and less exposed to new experiences than those who have more relaxed parents. This doesn’t mean that parents should already kick their kids out to the field at age 18. For instance, learn not to interfere when they are about to do something that’s essential for their lives in the future.
# 12 Let the kids experience failures
This is an important component in raising happy kids. Allow them to struggle at first because if they fail, these failures will eventually benefit them in the end. Nothing beats failures as the best teachers. Failing will help these kids to strive better in life. This will also help them develop advanced skills in problem-solving.
# 13 Teach them how to share
Let the kids realize that real happiness isn’t measured by how much they have but how much they are willing to give. Always make them feel grateful for every blessing especially when they have something to share.
# 14 Teach them how to build Relationships
Relationships are very important and are part of our daily life, encourage them to spend time with other kids.
# 15 Teach them to be Grateful
Teach them to appreciate what they have and do not take anything for granted.
Remember: Gratitude is the key to our happiness.
# 16 Teach them to Love
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe and certainly is a must ingredient in our life if we want to be happy. Teach them first to love themselves and also to
# 17 Teach them to be Kind
Kindness is not only contagious, it’s also proven to make you happier.
You might also like to read: Kindness makes you happier and here is why
# 18 Teach them to meditate
As they grow up, introduce them to meditation. Meditation is free, it’s powerful and can help us to feel happier.
If you don’t meditate I encourage you to read my post: why is meditation so important and why it can help us to feel happier
You might also like to read: How to create a Happy Home Environment
How to raise happy kids is not a hard question to answer. What the parents need to do is to raise their child in such a way that they will allow them to grow as someone who contributes positively to society.