Our children's lives are full of challenges and as parents we sometimes wonder if it will get the best of them. But that need not be so if we teach our children a few essentials for living a happy, fulfilled life.

As parents, we often cling to our children's happy faces when we give them a gift or buy them a toy or try to build them up by heaping praise on them. Neither of these two things will teach your child how to find inner happiness. We can teach our children to discover their own strengths and give them the tools to deal with life's challenges. They may not always be happy, it's tough for anyone to accomplish such a feat, but they will know how to survive, thrive and find inner peace.

Following are a few tips to help your child find happiness:

MASTERY Offer your child plenty of opportunities to succeed and gain skills. This is one of the key ingredients to gaining self confidence for anyone and self confidence is a cornerstone for happiness. Each task that your child undertakes and learns to do inspires him/her to take on the next and perhaps more difficult task. From learning to tie their shoes to fixing their bicycle the sense of accomplishment they experience offers them an opportunity to feel good about themselves.

RELATIONSHIPS Connecting with others gives a child the opportunity to feel liked and accepted by others. A parent's unconditional love can provide the very foundation upon which a confident, happy child can build a future. Care for your child, hug them often, tell them you love them and treat them fairly. Teach them that they need not be the best at something to be loved completely by you.

ENCOURAGEMENT Teach your child that "practice makes perfect" or at least that repetition leads to improvement. Show your child by your own actions that if you attempt something and the first time you don't succeed, a second or third attempt may bring about positive results. This is a critical tool for them to master. Too often children (and adults) think they should be able to do something the very first time they attempt it. In reality most of us struggle to learn new things but it is worth the effort.

PLAY Unstructured play time is very important to your child's development. It offers the opportunity for him to let his imagination run and take him places he didn't know he could go. In the process he learns skills that will be invaluable throughout life, such as planning and cooperation.

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Everyone loves to be praised and kids are no different. As long as it is done in combination with the other suggestions it can help build your child's self-esteem and let them know you are proud of them. Let your praise be equal to the accomplishment. A child is very keen to false praise and will hear it as such.

Putting all these suggestions into practice on a regular basis will provide your child with the tools to be a happy, productive, creative person. Life is not always easy and he will undoubtedly encounter difficulties along the way but the inner confidence he/she develops through mastery, close relationships, encouragement received, plenty of play time and positive reinforcement will turn difficult times into learning experiences.

Learn more about this author, Dorothy Sander.
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