10 Facts For Parents That Will Help Raise Happy Children

When it comes to parenting, there is no substitute for personal experience. However, you can also learn from other people’s examples and mistakes. If you want to be understanding and loving parents, check out the research on children and parenting.

1. Having children makes a person happier

In popular culture, the image of joyless parents often appears, for whom the problems of parenting overshadow the pleasure of having children.

The results of the study are as follows. The University of California at Riverside (USA) shows that on average, mothers and especially fathers feel happier than childless people. Parents get more positive emotions from caring for their children than from many other activities.

2. The happiest are altruistic parents

According to scientists, the willingness to put the interests of the child above their own pays off at the level of emotions. According to the Free University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), altruistic parents find more meaning in life and therefore are happier. Taking care of children increases the sense of self-importance and blunts negative emotions.

The more effort parents put into their children’s well-being — which is what makes them altruistic-the more happiness they get from parenting, the better they feel about their importance.

So what’s good for your kids is good for you, too.

3. Excessive guardianship causes depression in children

Despite the importance of parental care, it should not be abused. Especially when children become older.

297 undergraduate students were interviewed about their parents’ behavior and reactions to it. As a result, scientists have linked excessive guardianship with a high tendency to depression among students, as well as with an underestimated level of their independence and ability to adapt to life (published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies).

Parents should understand how appropriate their intervention is at a particular stage of a child’s development. They should change their approach if the children feel overprotected.

4. Strict discipline traumatizes the child’s psyche

According to statistics, in 90% of families, parents shouted at least once to the child. Instead of bringing him to reason, this method can make the problem worse.

According to a study published in the journal Child Development Ming-Te Wang, Sarah Kenny, longitudinal Links Between Fathers’ and Mothers’ Harsh Verbal Discipline and Adolescents’ Conduct Problems and Depressive Symptoms. The authors of the study followed 976 families with 13-year-old children, and strict verbal discipline worsened the behavior of adolescents and led to their development of depression. This situation was observed even if, in general, the parents were in close relationships with their children.

It is a mistake to believe that a close relationship with a child removes the consequences of strict discipline (as if he understands that he is being scolded in love). Parental love does not mitigate the effect of verbal punishments, and under all conditions they cause harm.

5. Regular sleep plays an important role in the formation of the child’s brain

To study the effect of sleep on cognitive functions of the brain, scientists from University College London (England) for five years followed 11,000 children, whose age at the beginning of the study was three years old. Experts have concluded that there is a link between irregular sleep at the age of three and a decrease in the ability to read, math, and spatial thinking in children of both sexes. Presumably, this age is an important stage of cognitive development.

Regular sleep patterns are important for children’s development. The earlier the child begins to comply with it, the better for mental performance.

Getting enough sleep is also important for college students. It is very important since students spend the days learning new information, memorizing, and being creative. As a student I didn’t get enough sleep, so it was hard for me to finish my Thesis Project, luckily I contacted qualified professionals who helped me to write my research paper.

6. Doing chores together creates a healthy family atmosphere

The scientists concluded that an even distribution of household responsibilities increases the satisfaction of family members with joint relationships. Moreover, positive perception increases if family members are engaged in housework at the same time. This creates a comfortable environment for the child’s psyche.

7. TV abuse reduces the child’s mental abilities

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting television viewing to two hours a day for children between two and five years old and not allowing them to watch television at an earlier age.

Research by the University of Montreal (Canada), which involved 2,000 children, found that children who abused television by the age of five had a smaller vocabulary and less developed mathematical and motor skills.

8. Physical exercise increases children’s academic performance

Exercising is a great way to improve your brain performance. Among other scientific papers, this is confirmed by a study by the University of Dundee (Scotland). By observing 11-year-olds, the researchers found a positive effect of exercise on academic performance in math, English, and other school subjects. Interestingly, the girls showed this effect more strongly.

9. Excessive care of children harms the mother’s psyche

For some women, raising a child is more stressful than working. How can this be correlated with the findings of scientists that children make us happier? It’s all about the attitude to motherhood. If a woman abuses custody, she can harm herself.

A study published in the Journal of Child and Family contains the results of observations of 181 mothers with children under five years old. Women who treat children with bigotry and consider themselves more important parents than fathers are more likely to suffer from depression and are less satisfied with life.

10. Having common parents does not make children similar personalities

Parents with many children may notice a curious feature: their children often have very different characters. According to a study published in the journal Behavioral and Brain, the personalities of siblings and/or siblings are different as they were strangers.

This conclusion may look strange, given that a significant part of the genetic code in children from common parents is identical. However, the formation of personality is more influenced by the environment. So, brothers and sisters have different relationships with relatives, friends, classmates, and so on. These differences determine the character of children.

Consequently, parenting methods that are great for one child in the family may not work at all for another. Therefore, it is very important to look for an individual approach.