Teaching Children to Create Happiness
The article How to Teach Our Children the Art of Happiness, by Lauren Knight was published by the Washington Post. It discusses how parents can teach their children to be happy people which will result in children being able to create their own happiness.
When a person has kids, they know that they only want the best for their child and they want their child to grow up to be the best person they can be. Parents want their children to be adults who are kind, thoughtful and grateful, who laugh often and find passion in life. Parents hope they surround themselves with whatever brings them joy, that they find a career they love and that they forge meaningful relationships with people who cherish them as much as they do do. Above all, parents want their kids to be happy.
A parent has a lot of responsibility and they play a major role in their child’s life. Parents do all the trivial parent things. They toilet train their children, they teach them self-care and manners, they teach them how to read, what to do in an emergency, and how to cross the street safely. Some parents might even teach their children how to play a musical instrument or a sport that they loved growing up. But the real question is if parents are able to teach their children how to create happiness.
The answer to this thought provoking question is yes. Parents are able to teach their children happiness by simply encouraging certain habits. The first is gratitude. In order to teach children how to be happy, they need to learn to be grateful for everything that they have. Although it is difficult to teach children to be grateful in a country that revolves around materialistic items and children are constantly inundated with the idea that more is better, it is important to say “no” to children in order to instill a grateful attitude. By teaching children to be grateful for what they already have rather than on what they want next, they will be able to create their own happiness with that they have rather than pursuing happiness by wishing for materialistic items that they do not have.
Another way for parents to teach their children how to create their own happiness, is to get into the habit of observing a “moment of gratitude” every day. No matter how cheesy this may sound, having children recognize how much they have and come up with something that they are grateful for each day will result in a happier and more appreciative child. This can be done upon waking up, or even at the dinner table, but by practicing gratitude daily, children can rewire their brains to recognize appreciation rather than dwell on disappointments.
Kindness is another skill parents can teach their children to help them create greater happiness. Acting with kindness increases the flow of dopamine within the child’s brain, making them feel happy. Parents can encourage kindness in children first and foremost by modeling it within their home. This can be accomplished by simply expressing kindness often. Especially during disagreements, and it is important to praise children with small acts of kindness to encourage kind behavior.
Happiness is not something that falls out of the sky and into a child’s lap. Rather, it is a wonderfully complex state of mind that can be strengthened with practice and support from a child’s parents. All parents want their children to experience happiness and joy in life, and by practicing a few simple technique at home, parents are able to teach their children to create happiness rather than pursue happiness.
When a person has kids, they know that they only want the best for their child and they want their child to grow up to be the best person they can be. Parents want their children to be adults who are kind, thoughtful and grateful, who laugh often and find passion in life. Parents hope they surround themselves with whatever brings them joy, that they find a career they love and that they forge meaningful relationships with people who cherish them as much as they do do. Above all, parents want their kids to be happy.
A parent has a lot of responsibility and they play a major role in their child’s life. Parents do all the trivial parent things. They toilet train their children, they teach them self-care and manners, they teach them how to read, what to do in an emergency, and how to cross the street safely. Some parents might even teach their children how to play a musical instrument or a sport that they loved growing up. But the real question is if parents are able to teach their children how to create happiness.
The answer to this thought provoking question is yes. Parents are able to teach their children happiness by simply encouraging certain habits. The first is gratitude. In order to teach children how to be happy, they need to learn to be grateful for everything that they have. Although it is difficult to teach children to be grateful in a country that revolves around materialistic items and children are constantly inundated with the idea that more is better, it is important to say “no” to children in order to instill a grateful attitude. By teaching children to be grateful for what they already have rather than on what they want next, they will be able to create their own happiness with that they have rather than pursuing happiness by wishing for materialistic items that they do not have.
Another way for parents to teach their children how to create their own happiness, is to get into the habit of observing a “moment of gratitude” every day. No matter how cheesy this may sound, having children recognize how much they have and come up with something that they are grateful for each day will result in a happier and more appreciative child. This can be done upon waking up, or even at the dinner table, but by practicing gratitude daily, children can rewire their brains to recognize appreciation rather than dwell on disappointments.
Kindness is another skill parents can teach their children to help them create greater happiness. Acting with kindness increases the flow of dopamine within the child’s brain, making them feel happy. Parents can encourage kindness in children first and foremost by modeling it within their home. This can be accomplished by simply expressing kindness often. Especially during disagreements, and it is important to praise children with small acts of kindness to encourage kind behavior.
Happiness is not something that falls out of the sky and into a child’s lap. Rather, it is a wonderfully complex state of mind that can be strengthened with practice and support from a child’s parents. All parents want their children to experience happiness and joy in life, and by practicing a few simple technique at home, parents are able to teach their children to create happiness rather than pursue happiness.