Make Your Kids Happier Adults

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Science says happier people are raised by parents who do this one thing. But I need to ask: What if the parent has no idea how to properly execute that thing?

According to a study from the University College London, people who perceived their parents as less psychologically controlling and more caring as they were growing up were likely to be happier and more satisfied adults. I get that. I can see the huge advantages of having a solid, caring and warm foundation versus mind games and emotional blackmail tactics, of course. 

That being said, if we, the parents, are the products of our own over-controlling parents, how can we be expected to raise happy adult-children? Would we even know how? After all, children learn what they live, and I, like many, grew up learning and living in the direct opposite of a caring and warm environment.

So, being an avid believer in modeling behavior, I decided I needed to learn how to be happy. This seemed a rather odd goal because I didn't consider myself unhappy per se, but I wasn't necessarily happy either. Sure, things were good, but I always found myself pressed for time, worried about something or rushing to do everything. My responsibilities as a mom, wife and worker always seemed to get in the way of just being happy.

The takeaway is that the No. 1 most important thing any parent can do to nurture their child’s happiness, contentment and confidence as an adult is to show them not only how to achieve and maintain all those things, but also what those things (happiness, contentment, confidence) look like.

So, what does happy look like? Do you know? Read more in the full article by clicking here. 

Originally published on Fairygodboss.