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Making Happy Happen

by Rachel Robertson
July/August 2014
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/making-happy-happen/5021848/

When new parents are asked what they want most for their child, they almost always say something along the lines of, “I just want her to be happy.” Early childhood professionals would often agree. But as children grow we tend to spend most of our energy helping them achieve, whether it be in school, work, hobbies, or other endeavors. Somehow we’ve linked happiness with achievement. But the truth is, achievement and happiness are not synonymous, nor does the presence of one guarantee the other. While progressive achievement is a worthwhile goal for children, it should not be pursued instead of, or worse, at the expense of happiness. But how do we prepare children to be happy? How can we set our young children on a course that leads to lifelong contentment?

Resilience

One of the best ways to nurture happiness is to prepare children for the adversity they’re guaranteed to encounter in life: in other words, develop their ­resilience. Ann Masten, a leading researcher on resilience calls it ordinary magic: a commonplace phenomenon that can do wondrous things. Sure, resilience is something we are all born with. But, if it is not nurtured or if a child repeatedly experiences significant crises his ...

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