The ultimate goal of raising children is to see them become successful one day. And most of all, happy and content with their lives. With the dawn of the information age it has become very easy for our children to be isolated. And hence forget what it means to be a happy child. This is the nightmare of every parent, for we all want that smile to never end on the beautiful faces of our young ones. Gladly we can do a great deal to ensure that it doesn’t.
Figure : Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/QPQfwg93xUM
Happy child? Foster connections
Children need to feel connected, not only to you but to other people as well, such as the daycare lady, relatives and other kids of their age. When you help your children develop that connection making ability. You are safeguarding them from isolation in the future. This way they will continue to link and associate themselves with people and feel loved and valued in life.
Don’t over-code your children
The trick to ensure the long-term happiness of your children is to avoid over-doing your efforts in the present. For instance, if they are showered with gifts in youth, they will expect the same to happen when they grow up. And when it won’t well you’ve guessed it.
Nurture your own happiness
Children are intellectual and emotional sponges; they absorb everything that you say or do, even the way you feel. Even without knowing it, you may be exposing your children to negativity by being so yourself. If you think that your mental state will have no effect on your children, then you’re mistaken. Children feel and inculcate your emotional vibes into their personalities. Wouldn’t it be great if you’d be genuinely happy? Forget the sorrows – for your family’s sake, and then you’ll definitely see the effects on your child.
Figure : Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/yH2WMrdLMYs
Praise their efforts rather than results
Praising is perhaps the best way to ensure that your child acts a specific way. But the way you praise them also matters. If you save your praises or always hint the next step (i.e. way to go on adding 1 and 2, can you add 2 and 2?), your children will feel that they have to outperform themselves to be worthy of praise. Another important thing to note is to praise their efforts, not the results. If you keep on praising them for being smart, then they might feel confident about that at first but when they encounter a class of other students. And it is conceivable that a few of them are smarter than them, they will become timid, because they will feel that they are not what they thought they were. Instead praise their hard work so that they never stop trying. And this way they will always be happy at the outcome.
Expose to success and failures
Success and failure, these are the two sides of trial and error learning. Parents try to hide failures from their children, this is a big mistake. When they grow up, they will be depressed at their failures, since they will have no memories of it from their childhood. Instead, let them pass through that initial phase of failures, to reach mastery. Which is the actual joy; they won’t care about the number of times they fell from their bicycle when they’ve finally mastered it.
Through your love and support, and through some right decisions, you truly can and will raise a happy child, happy parenting.
