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How to raise a happy child

By Ijeoma Thomas-Odia
11 March 2022   |   9:49 pm
In this day and age where more parents are busy ensuring that they make ends meet and chasing career goals, raising a genuinely happy child remains a concern.

In this day and age where more parents are busy ensuring that they make ends meet and chasing career goals, raising a genuinely happy child remains a concern. This is however not only for the benefit of both the child and his parents but also for a saner and societal development.

PHOTO CREDIT: parents.com

It however becomes necessary to know what makes a child happy if you want to see him grow normally and become a well-rounded adult who will further instil the culture in others.

Here are a few ways to groom a happy child:
Emphasize on positivity: Ensure that in your dealing with your child, only positivity should be key. As parents, you are the first moral support your child has and they need that validation from you to be confident and happy. This is why it is important that you appreciate your child whenever he does something right. But do not praise him when he is wrong. False praise can be harmful; he may look for words of appreciation all the time, which could cause motivation related issues later in life.

Teach your child patience: Inculcating the values of patience in your child helps them understand that their needs cannot always be gotten at the snap of a finger. It will teach them to understand the long-term benefit of delayed gratification and allowing things happen at their own time. This will help them stop being their own enemies and they won’t feel sad

Help your child form healthy relationships: When your child associates and relates with family and friends who share similar values, the memorable moments shared, brings a lot of happiness. By developing relationships with others, it can further empower him in his identity. This is also important for your child, not just relying on you in various matters.

Teach your child to be kind: In the formative stage, kids are bound to feel possessive and may not care so much about others in their life except for immediate family. Over time, it is important for your child to know that there is more to their life than just themselves. By cultivating empathy and kindness for others, they will begin to discover the happiness of a unique kind that only ever emerges from this.

Make your child independent: While some parents are overprotective about their children, this can irritate a child or make them excessively dependent. Allow them to make their mistakes and learn from them.

Share fun-filled moments together: Your child will cherish the memories spent with you the most. Make time to spend with him in various fun-filled activities. That will further strengthen the bond that you have, help develop trust between you both and make him open up to you more often.

Above all, let your child see that you are happy too. No amount of games, parties, activities will work if you are also an unhappy parent. Children tend to sense quickly and will go on to believe that is how life should be and so they might begin to feel guilty if they do have something to be happy about. Happiness is contagious, so if you are happy, your child will be happy with you.

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