Unless you’re an absolutely terrible caregiver, chances are you want to raise the healthiest, happiest children that you can. Even in cases where couples split up, experts like Oklahoma City divorce attorney Strange Law note that most parents still want to provide the best possible for their kids and see them raised in a happy environment. As it turns out, there is a science-backed method for tending to your child’s needs that isn’t terribly complicated for you to employ. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Lead With Happiness
It’s important for you to be a happy person yourself if you expect to raise another happy person. The joy you experience can permeate to your kids, so you need to start off by making sure that you are a happier person on the inside so that you can exude that positivity whenever you’re dealing with your kids.
Start Teaching Them The Keys to Happiness
Kids don’t know everything. In fact, there’s a lot that they don’t know about life, relationships, and how to regulate their emotions, so you’ve got to start conveying the life lessons that will get them to the state they need to be. You can begin with just a few talks about what happiness is and what makes them happiness, then segue into lessons about the characteristics your child will need to stay happy into the future.
This is where you can teach them about essential traits like optimism, self-discipline, emotional intelligence, and the like. What’s more, you can help your child develop the habits that they will need to maintain happiness later on. Show them the value of setting goals, staying persistent, and, of course, taking time out for themselves to destress and meditate on their state of mind. Over time, they’ll start to get the hang of it all on their own.
Set Reasonable Expectations
No child is perfect, nor should you expect them to be. It’s important that you set reasonable expectations of your child’s achievement so that they don’t get in the habit of beating themselves up when they fall short of what they think you want. You can seriously mess a child up if all you emphasize is achievement, so learn to chill on that front.
Instead, set progressive goals your child can hit, and praise their effort as opposed to their ability. What’s more, you’ve got to allow ample time for breaks. Believe it or not, playtime is also an essential component to happiness, so make sure they get plentiful doses so that they can be their best selves.
