Parents are responsible for caring for and giving our children everything they need for their healthy development, from their physical health to their emotional education. And without a doubt, one of the things that most concern us as parents is the make sure our children are happy.
It is well known that the first years of life will be the basis for their social and emotional development in the future, so it is extremely important to ensure that we are giving them the necessary tools. Therefore, today we talk about how to raise happy children and we share the keys to positive parenting.
Happy children: the goal of all parents
Happiness is something we all aspire to. Having a life with which we feel calm, full and happy, is undoubtedly one of the goals that many of us want, not only for ourselves, but also for our own children. As parents, Our mission is that: to help our children to be happy. But how to do it? What steps should we take to achieve it?
From Espacio Vida, they have shared a very complete infographic to be able to raise happy children, based on developmental psychology:
In it, we can observe some of the most important points to raise happy children, so starting from this, we share a little more about each one, and how you can carry them out at home.
Secure attachment
In Babies and more We are promoters of parenting with attachment or respectful parenting, as well as positive discipline, of which we have spoken several times.
There are different types of attachment, but the one that will help us have happy children is secure attachment, which is the one in which fosters a relationship where there is communication, care and emotional demonstrations, providing children with security, but also the necessary tools to develop their autonomy.
In Babies and more Tips for positive discipline by age and stage, recommended by the American Academy of PediatricsA healthy environment
The environment in which children develop greatly influences not only their emotional development, but also, the possible problems you may face in the future. Several studies have found that growing up in a conflictive or violent environment increases the chances of having problems at school or falling into risky behaviors, such as alcohol and drugs.
Remember that the environment in which children grow will also lay the foundation for the type of relationships they have with other people, so it is important that are developed in an environment of respect and affection, in which they are taken into account and where family conflicts are resolved in the most friendly and peaceful way possible, regardless of whether the parents are together or apart.
Recognize your efforts
One of the keys to being happy is to feel good about ourselves. But feeling good about oneself is something that comes from within and that begins to be fostered from childhood. So as parents, it is up to us to guide our children so that they have good self-esteem, confidence and self-confidence.
In Babies and more 15 positive phrases to tell your children that they will strengthen their self-esteemTo achieve this, we need to pay attention not only to the way we treat them, but also to the words we say to them and how we say them: Do we recognize only when they manage to do something right or do we also praise their efforts? It seems like a simple question, but the answer is more important than we think.
Sometimes we believe that the best we can make them see their mistakes and only praise them when they manage to do things correctly, but this could make it difficult for them to handle frustration when they fail. Instead of just highlighting their mistakes, we must also praise their efforts, so that they continue trying and gradually increase their confidence in themselves.
Have limits and be constant
Contrary to what some people believe, parenting with attachment or respectful parenting it is not equivalent to never setting limits and letting children do what they want. Doing it that way would only result in disoriented and insecure children, because no one ever told them how far they could go.
Our role as parents, besides being guides and providing a safe place, is that of set limits clearly, firmly and consistently, explaining to them so that they understand them and can understand how important they are, and always doing so with respect and by example.
Work on your emotional education
To the school corresponds the academic education, to the parents the emotional education. Work on it since they are babies and help them manage their emotions when they are older, It is something fundamental for your healthy development and happiness.
In Babies and more Your child needs to be sad, but also your help to know how to manage it We shall support and guide our children so they can understand, identify and manage their emotions, not only to avoid being emotionally illiterate, but also so that they can have a positive relationship with themselves and with other people.
Take care of our mental and emotional health
And finally, but not least: our mental and emotional health. How do we intend to educate happy and safe children if we don't take care of those aspects of our lives? Being mothers and fathers it is easy to forget ourselves, but if we are not emotionally well, we cannot transmit that well-being to our children, nor promote healthy development in them.
For this, we must find a time for ourselves, in which we can dedicate ourselves to doing those activities that make us feel better, as well as addressing any mental health problem or concern we have.
With these keys based on positive parenting, we can help our children grow and develop in a healthy way, making them children and, eventually, happy adults.
