A baby smiles for the first time about the time it is a month old. Parents go wild with joy as this early milestone is achieved and will try anything and everything to make the baby smile again and again. This is the easy part. The challenge lies in making your children smile through the growing years and into adulthood.
What makes children happy?
Children bestow their smiles freely from the time they are infants. As they grow older, every new experience, achievement, and milestone, along with the trusted and comforting old experiences, brings the smile back, with varying accompaniments—gurgles, coos and laughs. These smiles then gain meaning and importance as the child is nurtured through its initial years, deciding on temperament and character. | | | Positivity
A child imbibes feelings and emotions from the adults closest to it in daily and regular interaction. So it is not surprising that children are happy if their parents are happy. A positive environment is essential for a child to thrive and to achieve balanced growth. The happy and positives vibes you exhibit when around your child will bring about reciprocation and happiness. So a positive attitude is the key.
Self-esteem
Children are really little people, however much they may seem like cherubs, angels, or fairies. Even when they are behaving as little pests, it is necessary to treat them with care and to respect their individuality and independence. Only with such nurturing will their sense of self-esteem develop into a balanced personality.
Passion
Children are passionate about so many things. It is necessary to guide them and let them channel their passions into those areas which will help build character and integrity in life. The more passionate you are about their interests, the more interest and enthusiasm they develop for those very interests.
Balance
It is very essential to balance all aspects of a child’s life. Too much or too little play, not enough leisure, too little to learn, too little time with parents, too much time with the idiot box—all these can lead to frustration, boredom, and disappointment while simultaneously detracting from your child’s ability for balanced growth.
Humanity
Your sense of humanity is picked up almost subconsciously—how you react, behave, treat those more disadvantaged than you, preserve our ecosystem, etc., are things your child will learn. And these become your contribution to the world through posterity.
Relationships
Relationships are the framework of life and the sooner children learn this the better they learn to respect elders and value emotional bonds. The value systems you set with regard to your elders will be carried forth and will be visited on you, full circle.
Health
Healthy children are happy children. Understanding the requirements of growing children is essential to raising happy children. | | Sharing and giving
These two disappearing virtues, taught to impressionable children, may help rescue our world from the strife and destruction that is rampant today. Children come to us with such purity of heart and mind. The onus lies with us to ensure that our neuroses and fears do not warp their minds and set them in thrall to hatred and intolerance.
Time
This is a commodity that we are running out of in terms of family. Teaching your child the value of time should gel with the amount of quality time that you, as parents, can devote to your children. | |
Tips for raising happy children | - Realize you are a parent and that your child comes first.
- Plan to spend a particular number of hours a week with your child. And review the time spent at the end of the week.
- Be a good role model. You will spare a lot of disappointment.
- Listen. They have so much to share.
- Reprimands and punishment should be gentle and controlled. Do not punish in anger. You may do more damage to yourself and your child.
- Keep track of what your child is learning and observing. You may need to put things in perspective.
- Go back to school. Try to share what your child is learning and get involved in his/her school life.
- Eating together. Just this simple act of togetherness can reinforce your child’s sense of belonging.
- Live what you preach. As actions speak louder than words, your principles and character education are best represented by actions.
- Teach them to accept and learn from their failures.
| | Finally…
At the end of it all, remember that children are your path to immortality—the reservoir of your Genes and extensions of your soul. They stay, while we go on. And the happiness that comes from within them spills out and spreads through the whole world, changing and healing. |
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