For the majority of us, our childhood was one of the happiest periods in our lives. It was a time when we had no responsibilities and had more time in the day to do what we wanted to do. When we become adults, we quickly find that our lives will often lack such freedom, and many of us wish that we will children again.
But what is real childhood happiness? We will be answering this question in the article below.
Having Siblings and Friends.
Research shows that children are on average happier when they have other siblings rather than being one child. This is because it gives them someone close to be in contact with when their parents will likely be busy at work or doing household tasks.
Furthermore, a child can relate much better with a family member who is a child-like them rather than an adult. All siblings have their own quarrels. But that is naturally, generally as they get older the number of little disagreements that they have reduces drastically. Moreover, it is important for children to have a good social life.
This is why it is good to let them play outside with the other kids in the neighborhood that are in their age group. Additionally, you may take them to sports and youth clubs where they can also meet and interact with other kids.
It is essential for kids to interact with other people their age that they are not related to them, as it helps them build social skills, and also it opens the potential that they make friends for life.
Being Good at Something.
Children are also very happy when they are good at something, this can be a lot of different things such as being good at a sport such as tennis, being able to cook basic dishes, and also excelling at school.
This aspect majority of the time requires input from the parents or guardian as children do not really develop such skills by themselves and will instead need to be taught them by their parents or the parents will need to pay for other individuals to teach their kids.
The reason why children are happy when they are good at something is not that they can show off in front of others, but because it helps them build a passion around something. They will be able to enjoy this passion much more since they will be good at it, so they will find it easier to do.
Good Health.
Being in good health also provides real happiness during childhood. However, even if your child does not happen to suffer from a genetic illness, they are still at risk of developing an unhealthy lifestyle.
For example, they may become obese or develop diabetes if they consume too much sugar, in the United States it is estimated that 18.5% of all children and adolescents are obese.
Obesity comes with health side effects such as higher blood pressure and also joint pain which has a much bigger impact on children and adolescents as this is the period of life that they are growing and developing the most. Furthermore, if a child is obese, they are more likely to become self-conscious about their body weight and become insecure, which will further decrease their quality of life.
Enjoying the Little Things.
The little things in life are one of the key parts to the question of what is real childhood happiness, children enjoy the little things in life much more than adults do. Things such as going to the cinema ones a month, or going to their favorite fast food or restaurant, as well as going to play in the local park or field of grass.
It is fairly simple, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or any money to be precise. Children do not care about how expensive something is, they enjoy spending time with their loved ones and to have fun.
It is a fact of life that the younger someone is the easier they are to entertain, for example, they will have a ton of fun by simply kicking around a football with their parents. Regardless of how simple the activity is, the child will create amazing memories that they will cherish for the rest of their life.
Allowing Children to Take Risks.
Children learn from doing, and therefore it is very important not to be overprotective over your children. Although you may think that you are doing them a favor, you are actually handicapping and slowing down their development, which will actually make them more like to take bad decisions.
Therefore, it is good to let your children make mistakes, for example, allow your children to play outside without supervision. This may result in them doing immature things such as riding their bike too fast, which will lead to a few purple bruises. But ultimately, they will learn from their mistakes and will definitely not do it next time.
It is not just the good things that have happened during someone’s childhood that make for great memories, but it is also the naughty things that a child has done. Pretty much every adult has a funny story of them doing something naughty that they laugh about to this day.
Praise for Achievements.
It is very important for parents, guardian, and older family members to praise children for their achievements and the positive things they have done.
Apart from reinforcing and showing the child that what they have done is a good thing it also makes children happy and shows them that their hard work is valued and respected. Children look for validation from their parents or other people that they see as role models.
You should figure out a good award that does not have to cost a lot of money. But instead should be something that the child really wants, for example, it may be a cake from their favorite cake shop, or it can be going to a football match, it depends on the child.
This is a very good activity to get involved in that will not only bring happiness to your child. But it will also make them work harder and behave much better.
People Loving Them.
So, what is real childhood happiness? It is actually pretty simple, even if a child gets every toy that they want, they can do and visit anywhere, this will not bring real happiness to a child. It will ultimately only make them happy in the short term, however what children are really looking for is for someone to love them.
As a parent you can show love in many ways, such as cooking for your children, making sure that they have a good quality of life like, for example, the home that they are living in being clean and also being a safe and peaceful environment for them to grow up in.
This sounds pretty easy, but as all parents will agree it is easier said than done. However, the important thing is that you try your best!
Also read the article: Pranks of Children and How to React to Them Correctly?
