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Dec 23, 2007
"In serving the best interests of children, we serve the best interests of all humanity." --Carol Bellamy
Holiday Happiness for the Family
Will a pile of presents make our kids feel happy and loved this holiday season? Research shows that kids who focus on stuff and money are less happy and less healthy, more narcissistic, and have more behavior disorders than others. Clearly that joy doesn’t last. Though fraught with materialism, this season has more potential than any other to foster happiness. Spiritually and culturally meaningful holidays spawn loads of family traditions, and it is family ties and togetherness that offer lasting happiness. And just as important for fostering happiness, the holidays are an opportunity to cultivate children’s desire to help others simply by modeling our own desire to give and by involving them in the helping. The effects are thought to be long term -- very long term: altruistic students in one study were healthier and happier even fifty years later.
BE THE CHANGE
Send a story, tip, or "tool" for raising happy kids that you think other parents can learn from, to Christine Carter, author of the above article. More ...
