By Soumya Shrivastava (Facilitator & ChildMinder)
Our top goal and priority is to make sure that our kids are mentally ok. Forget accomplishments, kids should be happy, healthy and kind. Happiness comes from within and for kids it’s very important that we (parents) must create a positive and happy atmosphere at home and around our kids at all times.
Kids look up to their parents and family in inheriting all the good and bad habits. So rather than giving them examples we should be more prompt in doing the same thing in our daily life, because kids follow what they see not what we tell them.
Raising a happy child doesn’t mean parents should flood them with gifts and goodies, happiness and mental wellness in child comes in many form. It’s the responsibility of parents to assure how and in what ways they are bringing up a child who is happy.
Few basic things to keep in mind while raising a happy child–
Success and Failure :
Teach your kid that failing is cool, because it means you have dreamed big and tried, failing doesn’t gives us a tag of a loser in fact we learn a lot even if we don’t succeed. Tell your child few Humorous and funny stories of Failure, Kids should not fear Failure.
The great mistake good parents make is doing too much for their children. If you really want to boost your child’s self-esteem and wish they should be contented, focus less on compliments and more on providing them with ample opportunities to learn new skills. While it can be difficult to watch our kids struggle, they’ll never know the excitement of mastery unless we allow them to risk failure.
Happy Parents Raise Happy Kids :
Children absorb everything from us, our moods matter. Happy parents are likely to have happy kids. One of the best things you can do for your child’s emotional well-being is to give them the Positive and Happy Atmosphere and also let them feel the warmth you spread when you meet people.
Praise the Right Stuff:
Praise the effort rather than the result; Praise the creativity, the hard work that goes into achieving, more than the achievement itself.
Kids who are praised mainly for being bright become intellectually timid, fearing that they will be seen as less smart—and less valuable—if they fail.
So instead of showing the kids all the good things let them face the bitter reality and make them mentally strong to face all odds.
Give Real Responsibilities:
The more you can convey to your child that they are making a unique contribution to the family, from an early age, the greater their sense of self-worth and ultimate happiness. For example, if your little one loves to organize things, give them the job of sorting the forks and spoons, entertaining the baby sibling while you get dinner on the table. So always acknowledge that they are making a contribution to the family, it will heighten your child’s sense of connection and confidence, most important factors for lasting happiness.
Practice Habitual Gratitude:
Teach your kids to be always grateful for small things, to others, if someone did anything for them and should always show gratitude towards others and always be thankful to God for everything. This will make them contented and Happy naturally.
Small Things make the biggest difference :
Eat at least one meal together with whole family, Go for walks, Do some exercise or yoga with family, engage your kids in organizing small get together party for family. These are few ways which will bring closeness among family members and kids can experience a strong and healthy bond with family, resulting into natural happiness.
Always make sure that in order to bring a happy, contented and independent child, it’s the foremost duty of parents to create a positive and lively Atmosphere for kids because kids can only understand and follow what they see and what they observe around them.
Finally, the best thing you can do to help raise happy kids is to give them a loving environment. Kids who know they are loved and cared about are more likely to grow and succeed, even when they face tough circumstances in life.
