When you ask a parent, what is it that they want their child to be? Their immediate response will be “happy and successful”. A happy child is a successful child, as they are free of the low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, and they are free of the burden that comes with anxiety and overthinking when the child is unhappy. There are many articles about how to raise a successful child, but it’s time we read something on how to raise a happy child.
A happy child will open up to the world and bend it to his or her way. There are some children who get unhappy and hot-headed at times, but overall they should be jolly, giggling, and playing pranks on multiple people. The one question hence, which keeps up a parent, is “how to keep my child happy”, and this is what I will share today.
Read on, and you will know the 10 secrets it takes to raise a child. The important thing to remember is that the temporal happiness of a toy and everlasting joy from the familial love is different, and its the secrets of the second kind of happiness that you will read today.
Secrets for a happy child:
1. You need to be happy
For your child to be a happy child; you yourself have to be happy first. How parents behave, feel, and act affects the child immediately and immensely. When children are young, they follow the imitating and modeling rule. They will imitate everything that their parents do, and model it. So, if they see you laughing, they will imitate the same.
2. Empathy
Relating to others, doubling their happiness, and sharing their troubles makes your child a good human being. When we do something for others, it fills us with immense joy. When you will teach your child how to empathize and help others, they too will feel happy after helping others. Empathy can be taught by encouraging them to do small kind things for people, and this is a key factor in kid’s happiness.
3. Appreciate than expect
If you are wondering, how to raise happy children, then you need to appreciate the efforts put by the child than encouraging them to be a perfectionist. If they make a painting of your family, appreciate their efforts than pointing out the colors that are out of the border of the figure. This appreciation will become support for them, and they will be happy, as well as open themselves to more opportunities.
4. Optimist
The secrets for a happy child have one key aspect: to be optimistic. The way you encourage them to always look on the brighter side, this will become a key life skill for them. They will never be sullied or dawdle with the negative affirmations; rather they will accept the situation, point out the positives, and move on. This is helpful as it encourages one to take more steps towards a successful life.
5. Emotional intelligence
It has been proved by psychologists via extensive research that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ. Emotional intelligence is a skill that is learned and not a natural trait. If you want to know the secrets of raising happy children, then you need to realize that expecting children to grow up and then learn to recognize their own feelings and others is wrong. When you will teach them the key skills of EQ, they will understand their feelings and others. This self-awareness will help them to be aware of their feelings, as well as be a more considerate friend, partner, and child.
The research suggests that Emotional Intelligence is more important than IQ. Also, it is a skill that is learned and not a natural trait.
6. Self-discipline
Most people are not happy and satisfied in their life because they don’t know what they want in life and also because they don’t know when to stop. If you wish for your child to be aware of these points and how to overcome it, then you need to teach them self discipline. Self-discipline will help them to regulate their life and gain control of their mind. It will also save them from making rash decisions so that they are saved from being unhappy later.
7. Mindfulness via playtime
When you ask how to keep my toddler happy, many will tell you to practice mindfulness with your child from a young age. However, practicing mindfulness, i.e. the art of being present in the moment is something that eludes the best of us. Then how can we expect kids to practice it regularly? Hence encourage them to play more. When they play, they are aware of their surrounding, the people, as well as be completely present in the moment of playing.
8. Less screen time
Our environment is what influences our mood. To raise a happy toddler, you need to restrict their TV time. The UV rays of the screen cause the child to be depressed and it will lead them to be unhappy. Hence, the key factor in raising a happy child is to keep them away from the screen and to make them mingle with nature.
9. Eating dinner together
Toddler’s happiness lies in lapping up their parent’s attention. When you eat together with your child, you can make airplane noises, discuss with them about their day, the new games they are playing, as well as about the general things going around the world and in your lives. This will be a true source of happiness for them wherein they are cocooned by your love.
10. No short term bliss
When parents wish to know the secrets to raising a happy toddler, they give in to their every demand. But these short term happiness and giving in to their demands will make them indulgent and be a brat in the future. You need to stop making them happy, rather spend time with them, play with them, support them, and love them. This is more important than the toys and gifts.
While keeping your child happy, you shouldn’t be indulgent. You need to take care of them and make them happy, but not make them entitled and brutish. Your love and acceptance are enough for them, and these secrets for toddler’s happiness are your icing on the cake.