Last Updated on June 29, 2023
Happy kids! That is any parents’ ultimate goal. Of course, achieving this is not a task that can be taken lightly. In fact, there is much parents need to do for this to be the case. Here are a few things to take into consideration when raising happy kids.
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Unconditional love
One of the most important things you can do for you kids to raise them to be happy is to love them unconditionally. Of course, most parents say that they will do this. However, it is all too easy to let your own goals and preferences rub off on your little ones.
Sadly, many parents (often from a place of wanting their children to have a good life) end up pressuring them to do things that they wouldn’t necessarily choose. Whether that is a career choice, a relationship, or even the subjects and sports, they pick to do at school.
Of course, real unconditional love is care and affection that happens no matter what choices your children make. Something that can be more challenging to give. However, such love can create a strong and lasting bond between parent and child. This is something that provides an excellent foundation on which your child can base their identity, and so helps them to be a much happier and healthier individual.
Physical health
We know enough about the body now to realise that physical health is as vital for happiness as mental health is. In fact, activity releases happy hormones, and that means kids must get at least an hour of exercise every day to be the happiest they can be.
Luckily, this isn’t such a hard thing for parents to facilitate. In fact, you will find that activities such as swim classes and sports games run regularly in most areas. Something that means getting the little one active isn’t too hard.
Also, even if your child isn’t into organized activities, you can take them on a hike, or go bike riding with them. You can even allow them to play with their friends in the yard to get the required amount of physical activity each day. Something that can help to keep them as healthy as happy as possible.
Encourage Them to Be Social
There is a definite and robust link between someone’s sociability and their happiness levels, although it is not as clear-cut as people tend to assume. It’s not just a case that the more friends you have, the happier you are – actually, it all comes down to the individual.
Some people need more friends and social opportunities than others, and you should be aiming to encourage your children to be as social as it seems natural for them individually.
By encouraging your children to be social in the right way and to the right amount, you can help them to be much happier in general.
Autonomy and independence
Protect and provide is that mantra that most moms have. However, we get so used to this role that it can be very easy to forget the long term goal of raising kids. That is for them to grow up to be autonomous and confident adults. People capable of making good decisions and carving out a life for themselves that is not just successful on paper, but that they can enjoy as well.
To that end, getting the right balance between protecting your kids and not being overbearing is really important. Of course, that means sometimes you will have to let them make their own mistakes, and that you will have to wipe their tears away when they do so. However, if you want your kids to be happy over the long term, this is a challenging but essential part.
Communicate Openly
Open and honest communication is an absolute bedrock for enduring happiness, and the earlier that you make this the norm for your children, the more of a chance they have of being happy later in life.
The best way to encourage this kind of communication is to practice it yourself. That will make for the kind of home life that leads to more of the same, and your children will learn early on that they can communicate without fear of reprisal. This is central to ensuring that they will be happy, so it is something you will not want to overlook if you can help it.
