Skip to main content

10 Steps to Family Happiness

Happier kids are more likely to become successful, accomplished adults. Looking at the science can show what works in raising naturally healthy, happy kids.

Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask First. How happy parents are dramatically affects how happy and successful their kids are.

Build a Village. The breadth and depth of our positive relationships with other people is the strongest predictor of human happiness. Expect Effort and Enjoyment, Not Perfection. Parents that overemphasize achievement are more likely to have kids with higher levels of depression, anxiety and substance abuse compared to others. Praise effort, not natural ability.

Choose Gratitude, Forgiveness and Optimism. Optimism is so closely related to happiness that the two are practically interchangeable. Teach pre-teens to look on the bright side.

Raise their Emotional Intelligence. It’s a skill, not an inborn trait. Parents can help by empathizing with children facing difficult emotions and helping them identify and label what they are feeling. Let them know that all feelings are okay, even though bad behavior isn’t.

Form Happiness Habits. Turn these happiness skills, plus the positive skills parents already have, into habits.

Teach Self-Discipline. Self-discipline in kids is more predictive of future success than intelligence or most anything else good. Start teaching it by helping kids learn ways to distract themselves from temptation.

Enjoy the Present Moment. We can be super-busy and deeply happy at the same time by deeply experiencing the present moment. Rig their Environment for Happiness. Monitor a child’s surroundings so that the family’s deliberate happiness efforts have maximum effect.

Eat Dinner Together. This simple tradition helps mold better kids and makes them happier too.

Christine Carter, Ph.D., is the author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents and The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Home and Work (ChristineCarter.com).

family happiness 10 steps Feature

 

 

Upcoming Events Near You
The Tick Tackler Tutor: Three Impactful Tick Remediation Strategies for the Homeowner

By Jennifer Meisenbacher

Did you know most tick bites occur in and around the home—and that ticks spend more than 95% of their life off a host?

With more than 19 years of field experience, Tick Tackler offers a practical, easy-to-follow approach that empowers homeowners to significantly reduce tick activity on their properties. From gardening and yard work to children’s play areas, this guide outlines essential adjustments to help protect your outdoor spaces from ticks.

The Tick Tackler Tutor introduces three impactful strategies designed to identify high-risk areas and minimize exposure. These methods are versatile and adaptable—whether you’re a homeowner, pet owner, beekeeper, or managing a larger property such as a doggy daycare or horse farm.

Inside, readers will discover how education leads to confidence, how small changes can yield visible results, and how breaking tick control into manageable steps restores a sense of control. The book simplifies complex concepts into three core strategies, guiding readers in creating a personalized plan to reduce tick activity effectively.

For those eager to reclaim their yards but unsure where to begin, this guide delivers clear, actionable solutions. Transform your outdoor environment into a safer, more enjoyable space for family, pets, and everyday living.

Available now on Amazon.

Follow Us On Facebook