It is never too early to start teaching kids to be positive. Through positive parenting we can train kids to find the good in the world and how to turn a bad day around. We all know that a happy kid tends to become a happy adult. Day in and day out, there are four consistent things that I tell my son about being positive and approaching his world. Maybe these tips will help show you the power of positive parenting to get your children headed in the right direction.
Positive Parenting To Raise Happy Kids
1 – BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN
The first step to being happy is to feel comfortable about who and what you are. Everyone was born with flaws and no one is perfect. Teach kids early that they are great just as they are – and that other children are great as well. Life is not about your background, school, toys, skin color, height, weight, eyes, hair, or freckles. Kids who ultimately love themselves will love others.
Their self-esteem and self-confidence are paramount to their happiness – and that happiness comes from within. The relationship your kids have with themselves is the most important relationship of all. Teach them to steer clear of children (and adults) who discriminate or make judgements about them. They should also distance themselves from kids who are shallow and narrow-minded. They are better than that and deserve to feel good about who they are.
2 – BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE AND DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS
This is so true with kids. They always want what the other kids have… toys, games, clothes, friends, etc. However, they will never be truly happy if they are comparing themselves to others. The grass always seems greener on the other side but that does not mean it actually is! If you let kids constantly want and long for something else then they will always feel miserable and unsatisfied. They will always think and feel like something is missing in their life.
Even worse, if they keep comparing themselves to others and always wanting something more, they will very often develop feelings of jealousy – which can easily turn to resentment and anger. While comparing yourself to others in a healthy way can be helpful in many situations, doing so for the wrong reasons is a recipe for disaster and leads to kids feeling entitled. Nobody wants that!
If children can live simply and appreciate what they have, they will be well on their way to joy and happiness in everyday life.
3- LIVE IN THE MOMENT
I believe that one of the reasons little kids are usually really happy is because they live in the moment. They focus on what is happening in front of them and pay attention to the person they are with, or the game they are playing, or the simple task at hand. When you live in the moment and do your best, you just feel happy. Why wouldn’t you? You don’t worry about the future and you don’t feel sad about the past.
Your child is fantastic at this by nature and it is great to constantly remind them to stay that way! (It is also a great reminder for us adults.) Teach them to take every waking hour as it comes – just do what they are supposed to do and complete what they’re supposed to complete. The only constant in life is change so just encourage them to live in the moment and do their best.
4 – HAVE AN OPEN MIND
Having a narrow mind can hurt your kids way more than you think. Humans naturally don’t like being disapproved of and don’t like feeling rejected. We don’t like feeling like we’re wrong because it makes us feel unaccepted. Thankfully, kids are generally open minded but when they don’t have an open mind and oppose others who think differently than they do, they will often feel extremely agitated and uncomfortable. The power of positive parenting is teaching kids that acceptance is one of the main keys to life.
When kids have an open mind, they don’t look down upon different beliefs and ideas. In fact, they tend to embrace differences. Learning to understand the people and things that are different in the world will ultimately help them become adaptable and flexible in life. Feeling at ease in any situation and around any type of person, and accepting those circumstances will help children be tolerant and happy… both of which are fantastic traits to have no matter if you are a kid or an adult!
Do you see the power of positive parenting? What do you think makes for happy kids and adults?
Rob Youngblood is an Emmy Award Winning TV Host, Men’s Life and Style Expert, Single Dad, Keynote Speaker, and A Guy Who Talks for a Living! You can follow him on Twitter.
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Kristen says
Such helpful tips – I love this! Pinning and stumbling now!
Nicole says
I like these tips, they are definitely great ideas that adults and kids should practice – I know I need to hear these, too. Showing gratitude is something we are constantly having to work with our kids to do. They tend to take for granted all the things they have. I don’t think they mean to – they just don’t realize sometimes.