How to raise a happy child.

In today's world where the margin between true happiness and virtual happiness has become very thin, so to raise a child who knows the value of true inner happiness is something we as parents should inculcate in our kids.

Hello my wonderful friends, I'm Dr. Shristi Sharma, a dentist and a mom to a wonderful son, Viaan who just turned three!

How many times have we heard that ,give him a new toy and he'll be happy. But can just the possession of a new toy or the high tech new device make a child happy in the long run, I guess not.

So here are few of my tips and tricks to raise a happy child!!

1.Lead by example. The most important thing to raise a happy child is for you to be happy. Children observe us very closely and specially the younger ones, they replicate what they see. So if you are grumpy and irritable, the chances are likely that your child will copy you.

2. Praise and encouragement : I cannot emphasize how much it's important to praise and encourage kids. It boosts their confidence and gives them a sense of accomplishment. Even simple phrases like good job makes them very happy. For eg: if he / she made a beautiful art or has finished food or cleaned their rooms , never forget to say how amazing they are and how proud they have made you.

3. Discipline when needed : It is not right to give in to all chimps of your child. The idea is to raise a happy child, not a whimsical child. There will be times when the child is rude or mean to you or others, these behaviors should not be tolerated. A gentle time out can help te child to rethink about his/her actions.

4. Have a close relationship : The child should be able to ask or express himself without being judged . Children need our time and attention and often we end up snapping at them because we are so stressed about so many things in our life. But let us all keep in mind that their childhood will not come back again. So invest your time in building strong bond with them.

5. Teach them to be in contact with nature : So in today's world where we are all so much into screens - tv screens, computers, laptops, mobiles, it's very important for us to take our kids out and introduce them to nature. Be it a simple trip to park or hiking or beach side, a little time spent with nature can brighten any day.

6. Teach them to appreciate criticism: while its always better to appreciate than criticize, but its equally important for a child to handle criticism so that it doesn't lower his self esteem. Now how can we do that , firstly we need to let them know criticism gives us room to improve. For eg. your child did something you are not happy with then, give them a hug, tell them that you love them and that you are not happy with what had happened. And importantly when the child does better in future dont forget to tell him/her how proud you are.

So to conclude I would like to quote a few lines -

"If we want our kids to have happy, productive and moral lives , we must allow more time for play, not less."

- Peter Gray.