IN THIS ISSUE:
-5 Ways to Raise Joyful Kids
-YOU SAY: Children’s Wisdom
-To reproduce the newsletter
Topic of the Week
5 Ways to Raise Joyful Kids
Raising joyous children is easier than you might
think. An "all is right with the world" kind of
happiness is deeper and more penetrating than a
new toy or a bag of gummy worms. Genuine joy
nurtures your children's spirits now and gives
them the ability to access that joy for the
rest of their lives.
The following 5 tips can help you foster joy
in your children's lives:
1. Discover what makes your own spirit sing:
Take time to engage in a long walk at the end of
the day, a hot soak in the tub, a good novel,
knitting by candlelight, laughing with a pal on
the telephone - whatever it might be for you.
By engaging in self-care, you show your child
how everyday joy is spun. You are the mirror for
him or her and reflect an adult who knows how to
create happiness no matter what is going on in
your world. When Mama or Papa is happy everyone's
happy.
2. Praise the process not the product:
If kids find their joy solely through their parent's
approval, they set themselves up for a lifetime
of disppointment. Make sure to be authentic with
your kids and encourage them to take risks and try
new things rather than only praising the outcome
of a class, project, race, or game. Love them for
who they are, not what they achieve and then watch
their authentic joy unfold.
3. Help your children experience the delight in
giving:
Kids long for connection with others more than
another new toy or trip, as hard as that might
be to believe. Reach out with kindness as a family
and watch the joy bubble back into your lives.
What one kind deed might you do today with your
child? Bake an extra loaf of banana bread for an
elderly neighbor, write a thank you note to the
bus driver for always smiling in the mornings,
invite the child who is new in town over for a
play date?
4. Make time to laugh together:
The average family spends far too little time
engaged in humor and way too much time engaged in
complaining. Leave a book of tasteful jokes lying
around the house or tuck a funny cartoon in your
child's lunch box. Create a Funny Family Movie
Night and watch classic family comedies. Surprise
your child and turn an ordinary day into a celebration.
Who knows, you might begin a tradition.
5. A healthy body can better express joy:
Make sure your child gets enough sleep, eats
healthy foods without a lot of sugar and has
plenty of opportunities for quiet time, as well
as wholesome exercise in their day. Doing so will
help regulate moods so joy is a fluid ongoing
experience whirling around a balanced mind, body
and spirit.
YOU SAY
We asked you to send in examples of your children’s
wisdom. Kids are indeed huge spirits housed in
little bodies.
Here are some of your stories:
My five-year-old daughter Nicole and I were reading
the book "I Love You," which has a delightful
nut-brown hare parent & child expressing their
love for each other in a humorous escalation of
the size of their love, such as "I love you as
high as I can hop" and "I love you to the moon &
back."
One day we were driving to day care when I began
the same banter with Nicole. We started with "I
love you as far as I can reach," "As high as I
can hop" and so on, but when I got to "I love you
to the moon & back," she amazingly responded with "I love you to God and back." Speechless, I
managed to respond "Wow, that's the biggest ever!
I love you that much, too." I've always cherished
that moment and try to remember it when I've had
a challenging day with her.
--- Michelle
When my granddaughter was about five years old,
we were driving over the Juneau Douglas Bridge on
a rainy day. Jamie laughed and said, "Isn't God
so silly? God is having fun, it's sunny, it's raining
and look, there's a rainbow." I would have missed
the scenery in that moment if Jamie didn't point
it out. Later she said, "God has a sense of humor!"
--- Sarah
For our next YOU SAY segments send us your child's
favorite bedtime prayers.
Send to: Editor@SpiritualParenting.com
Spiritual Parenting Thought for the Month (sm) is
written and produced by Mimi Doe.
If you have any questions or comments,
please send them to:
mimi@SpiritualParenting.com.
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