Chaplain's Chat 

Hi Everyone,

When you ask parents what they want for their kids, what is usually the most common reply? They want their kids to be happy. Happier kids are more likely to be successful and accomplished adults and achieve more in life. 

So how do you raise happy kids? 

1. Give them plenty of play time: Children learn important life lessons through play with other children. It can be incredibly beneficial to allow children freedom to play, especially in an enriching environment like outside in a park.
    
2. Take arguments and heavy discussions elsewhere: Kids brain develop at an extraordinary rate during childhood, and they usually understand more than they let on. When children see and hear about adult-like problems and uncertainties it can negatively affect their mental health, making them worried and insecure. 
    
3. Don’t compare them to others: Accept your child for who they are. Your child is trying their best. Comparing them to other children and putting pressure on them to be someone else can ruin a child’s self-esteem and sense of self. 
    
4. Don’t be afraid of negative emotions: All children will have outbursts of ‘negative’ emotions such as anger, envy, sadness etc.. These are normal emotions, and it is not helpful to punish children for having them. A better way to handle these emotions is to help children deal with these emotions constructively. 
    
5. Give children a sense of responsibility: It is important to allow children to complete responsibilities and feel like they are making a difference in the family. But you must also allow a child to make mistakes without punishment in this responsibility.  Allow children to take chances and learn resilience and learn to do things on their own.
    
6. Create happy memories: Have lots of family time and take time to have fun together. Routines such as family dinner every night or regularly scheduling time to have fun like going to the zoo having dance parties at home can greatly improve a child’s happiness.