As parents, all we ever want for our children is for them to be carefree, happy, intelligent and social beings and short of putting the world at their feet, we shower them with all that we have and all that we can do.
So whether it’s the child’s emotional health, physical well-being, academic excellence, or social companionship-related matters, we, as parents pull out all the stops in making our kids as inventive, active and happy as they can be.
However, in spite of our best efforts to raise happy, emotionally balanced children, recent research has thrown up some astonishing facts. Data suggests that when the basic necessities of life are guaranteed, outside influences don’t hold much sway over our children’s happiness quotient.
Which brings us to the next pressing question – What then affects our children’s happiness barometer?
The biggest determiner of our children’s happiness, aside from their inherent, psychological makeup is firmly connected to three sorts of propensities:
– Certain lifestyle activities, for example, how much physical activity they get in, how much of an opportunity they have to eat fresh & nutritious food, how much they love to associate with other individuals, and generally, how much of a sunny disposition they tend to naturally have!
– The lens with which they view the world, and consequently, distinguish their encounters in alignment with that.
– Even personal characteristics, for example, empathy, authority over situations reasonableness, restraint, astuteness, fortitude, genuineness and diligence matter a great deal.
Practically speaking, these characteristics are simply propensities; inclinations to act in specific ways when faced with particular sorts of circumstances.
And undoubtedly, it also makes sense to say that the more our children display these characteristics, the better their lives will work, the better they will feel about themselves, and the more meaning they will find throughout their everyday life.
As a parent, this is a point worth reiterating – When we teach our children to make such propensities a part of their lives, they will become programmed to be happy, emotionally-balanced people that will live a contented life.
But, how do you, as a parent, get that ‘’happiness programming’’ going?
- Start with yourself
Grandma always said this to you a million times already but that’s just how true and sage this advice is – Happy parents mean cheerful children.
In other words, what this means is that to make (and keep) yourself happy almost entirely guarantees that your children will turn out happy people too.
Alright, sure. Easier said than done, right?!
Ok, here’s another explanation: kids mimic what you practice, not what you preach.
Remember the first time you overheard her gossiping about a girl at school – Well, she’s overheard you gossiping too!
The most ideal approach to show your children how to be upbeat is to demonstrate to them what a cheerful individual is. As a parent, hold yourself in high regard and positive self-esteem. Give them a chance to see how you and your spouse express good words about yourselves and actively put resources into doing things you’ll adore.
Do this, and they’ll be bound to stick to this same pattern.
- It’s ALL IN THE MIND – Creating mental routines
How we deal with our emotional temperament when faced with a particularly unsavory circumstance, how much of time we allocate to positive self-talk and appreciating the small joys of life, and how much meaning we attach to our fellow beings and the whole universe, are some of the mental habits that our children imbue from us.
If you as a parent incorporate positive mental routines daily, you will be encouraging your children to duplicate you.
- Foster healthy lifestyle schedules that create happiness
Participating in physical activity, consuming fresh & nutritious food, connecting with other children in structured or unstructured playtime, and going on cruise control mode once in a while have shown exceptional results in creating genuinely happy children
You and your youngster may have your methodologies for these kinds of healthy lifestyle schedules – For some, trekking is a quick mental facelift, for others a good book consistently works – The idea is to make regular time for, and go along happily with whatever makes the parent-child emotionally comfortable.
Whatever floats your boat is the maxim here!
Strike a balance
As one of the leading international schools in Coimbatore, we at SSVM School of Excellence regularly feature in the top 10 schools in Coimbatore because we encourage overall emotional-balance with academic stability. And we don’t stop there – Be it the younger tots studying at the SSVM School of Excellence, or the students in the higher classes, we put in our best efforts for creating a happy, and positive learning environment. Ranked as the best school in Coimbatore, you can get in touch with us here.
