The key to raising a happy child is to allow them to be unhappy.
Parents like to find different ways to make their children happy. But in fact, children know how to find joy, However, happiness isn't an all-the- time feeling. Parents often have trouble accepting that "children can be angry, sad in some ways".
When a child is unhappy, parents often cheer them up. They might offer chocolate cake, or a trip to the park to run around. There's nothing wrong with doing nice things for the child when they're unhappy, but the problem is that parents still don't find out what's making the child sad.
Being scared of feeling bad can cause problems, Kids can be sorry about those feelings, and have thoughts like, "I'm angry. I must be bad. There must be something wrong with me."
That's why parents need to accept that their children can't be happy all the time and that the children need to learn to face those feelings. Parents could ask an unhappy child to talk about their feelings and express (heir understanding.
So it's important to let children know that it's OK to have these bad feelings, and that "Mom or Dad is always there when I 'm unhappy". If they know this and learn to control their feelings, they'll grow up to be strong and successful.
