We leave in a society in which people struggle to make ends meet. In addition, people are always working towards achieving their full potential while also living a high quality life. In some cases, the society subscribes to a false narrative regarding the issue of happiness. There are those who believe that happiness will always follow success. In such cases, the focus is on achieving different goals in life in order to be happy. With every kind of new achievement, the brain will set new bars that are higher than the previous ones. Therefore, the person will end up looking for ways of achieving the new goals. Reversing this kind of formula for happiness is not easy as human beings are always optimistic to achieve higher goals. In the article, the Happy Secrete to Better Work, Michelle McQuaid talks about the issue of happiness and how it can be achieved in the society. The author argues that when a person is happy, he or she will become energized, intelligent, creative and more productive compared to instance when the individual is neutral or negative about life. I believe that the author provides a convincing account on the issue of happiness and how it can drive productivity in the current globalized and highly competitive world. The current society is characterized by intense competition for resources and opportunities. In such a setting, people may struggle to balance between work and personal life requirements. In addition, we may struggle to live a normal and happy life. When people are concerned more about their work than living, they are likely to be unhappy. Negativity is one of the drivers of unhappiness in the society. When a person is negative, he or she is likely to focus more on the negative events and occurrences in the society. Furthermore, the person will be more concerned about the challenges that he or she faces in life. In the long run, it is not possible for them to live a happy and productive life. This paper explores some of the ways through which people can raise happy children.
Religious beliefs
People have different religious beliefs that influence how they live and interact with one another. The religious beliefs may also shape the parenting methods that are used to guide children and help them live a happy life ( Agorastos, Demiralay, & Huber, 2014 ). For parents to make their children happy, they need to encourage them to develop a sense of personal worth. In addition, children who feel that their lives are meaningful tend to have quality relationships. These are vital measures of spirituality among children. In some cases, parents may assume that their religious practices and beliefs may have minimal effect on the happiness of their children. In such cases, the parents tend to overlook the manner in which religious beliefs and practices determine the kind of life that children live. A review of existing literature show that both spirituality and religiousness have a significant effect on happiness among children ( Agorastos, Demiralay, & Huber, 2014 ). In this case, spirituality refers to the inner belief system that one relies on for comfort and strength. Religiousness, on the other hand, relates to the institutional religious rituals that people have and practice. The impact of religious beliefs on the happiness of children has been explored in a number of ways. For instance, it has been reported that children who are raised in families with strong religious beliefs are able to develop a sense of self-worth. Such children value themselves and strive to live in accordance to the rules that are set by their parents. It is also worth stating that children who are raised in the families with strong religious beliefs tend to be spiritual and happy ( Agorastos, Demiralay, & Huber, 2014 ). The trend is attributed to the fact that the children have personal value for their own lives as well as the life of other people. In addition, such children are able to develop communal and interpersonal relationships with other members of the society. In the end, the children are able to live a meaningful life since they view their lives to be valuable and important. The enhanced personal meaning of life tends to affect the extent to which the children will feel happy.
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Cultural influences
Another factor that tends to affect the happiness of children is cultural influence. Culture is a concept that has been explored in children literature. In addition, it has been defined differently depending on the interest of the author and the issues that are being examined. Generally, culture is considered to be the set of beliefs that influence the way people live and interact with each other (Swihart, Yarrarapu, & Martin, 2020). Every group or community has a set of belief systems that will determine how they live. In addition, the cultural beliefs tend to shape the manner in which people live and make decisions. In every community, members are expected to live in accordance to the existing value systems. Many parents expect their children to follow the set out cultural values. The process entails raising the kids with some degree of cultural belief and teaching them how to behave in an ethical way. Those who deviate from the accepted cultural values and beliefs can be punished so that they can change their ways. It is, however, worth stating that parents may also confront complex dilemmas when they decide to raise their children as per the existing cultural systems (Swihart, Yarrarapu, & Martin, 2020). The trend is attributed to the fact that the cultural beliefs may be in conflict with the personal and religious views of the parents. In such case, the parent may be forced to make a decision on the kind of values and beliefs that they will use to raise their children. When the cultural beliefs are contradicting the methods that the parents are using to raise their children, then the kids may also face heightened levels of stress that will adversely affect their health and wellbeing. In this regard, culture is a subject that can have positive or negative effect on the happiness of the child.
Mental Health Challenges
The third factor that was examined with regards to the happiness of children is mental health challenges. Mental health can be described as the overall wellbeing of how people think, behave, and regulate their feelings. Those who suffer from mental health disorders experienced changes that may affect their thinking process, feelings, and behaviors. In addition, the illness can affect the ability of a person to function and behave in a positive way. Among children, mental health problems are usually characterized by disruptions and delays in developing age-appropriate ways of thinking and behavior ( Lake & Turner, 2017 ). In addition, children who have been diagnosed with mental health conditions may lack certain social skills and struggle to regulate their emotions. These are problems that can cause distress among their children and affect the manner in which they interact with each other. There are a wide range of mental health problems that may affect children. They include, depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder ( Lake & Turner, 2017 ). The conditions may be linked to various causes such as experiencing a traumatic event, neglect, lack of social support, violence, and homeless. It is also worth stating that the mental health of a person may affect their physical health. For instance, children who are distress may not be able to develop normal and behave in the desired manner.
When children suffer from mental health conditions, they are likely to struggle to live a happy life. For example, a child who is depressed may not be able to interact with other members of the community. In addition, such children may live in isolation and avoid taking part in activities that require them to interact with other members of the community ( Lake & Turner, 2017 ). The environment in which people live usually has a minimal impact on the level of happiness. From time to time, people focus improving their living environment. The process entails building a better house, moving to new neighborhoods, and enhancing the working environment. Such moves are usually based on the assumption that the environment in which people live will affect their happiness. It is undeniable that people can be happy when they live in a favorable environment. One of the factors that can adversely affect the happiness of the children is mental health problems. Therefore, parents have a significant role to play in helping their children overcome mental health challenges.
Familial Support
People who believe that happiness follows success struggle to remain positive and happy in life. Most people usually hold the opinion that when they succeed, they will be happy. However, the reverse is usually true. In other words, when people are happy, they are likely to succeed in life. The trend is attributed to the fact that a positive life attitude will inspire people to work to achieve their goals in life. I believe that when a person is happy, he or she has some degree of happiness advantage. It implies that when a person is happy, he or she will experienced increased energy, productivity, creativity, and intelligence. One of the factors that affect the extent to which a person will be happy is the existence of a familial support structure. The area in which a person lives will shape how happy he or she will be. It is true that the people who live in a less favorable environment can also be happy. This implies that there is more to happiness than the environment. It is a person views that world that determines their contentment and shape their reality. However, the view that children develop regarding life and the world in which they will depends largely on the people that they interact with. In particular, the family structure plays a critical part in shaping the kind of life that we live (Paris, Ricardo, & Raymond, 2019). The children who come from supportive families tend to have a positive outlook of life. Furthermore, the children are able to overcome some of the physical and mental health challenges that they may encounter in the course of life. Therefore, familial support can positively impact on the happiness of children.
Parent/Guardian’s Level of Education
The final major factor that affect the kind of life that people live and the extent to which children become happy is the parent’s level of education. Today, education is regarded as one of the main factors that may affect the kind of life that people have. Those who are educated are better placed to get employment opportunities and earn a living. In addition, the educated members of the society tend to have access to better healthcare services. The trend is attributed to the fact that such individuals may understand the importance of seeking professional assistance when they suffer from different medical conditions. Moreover, they tend to have access to better insurance coverage.
The level of parent’s education shapes how people raise children and provide for their families. Those who are educated understand the needs of their children and strive to provide for them. In addition, such individuals have access to information that can help them to understand the development of their children and learn how to guide the young ones to become useful members of the community. Consequently, they will always strive to give their children the things that they require to live a normal and productive life. Those who may not be educated face a wide range of challenges such as the lack of a source of income. In addition, they may not get access to quality health services that their children may need at different stages of life (Paris, Ricardo, & Raymond, 2019). The socioeconomic differences between these groups of parents influence the manner in which they treat and raise their children. In most instances, those who are raised by the educated parents tend to have a better understanding of their world. In addition, they receive familial support that they need to live a positive and productive life. Therefore, educational level is a factor that will determine whether the children live a happy life or not.
Conclusion
Happiness is one of the factors that affect how people live. In some cases, people forget that they have the power to shape their happiness. Instead of focus on the inner factors that influence happiness, they are more interested in the external world. The external world defines our perception of reality and influences the extent to which we may be happy. However, most of the effect is linked to the inner self. It is the inner self that determines the way will perceive the world and live. In addition, it is the internal factors that will shape creativity, resilience, and energy when in times of trouble. Therefore, people should be encouraged to be positive at all times to live a happy life. People need to be happy to live a long and productive life. However, it is not easy for one to be happy at all time. The trend is attributed to the challenges that we may encounter in life. From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that there are a wide range of factors that affect the extent to which children will be happy. When children are happy, they are able to develop normally and achieve their full potential in life. Furthermore, such children are able to develop and marinating meaningful relationships.
References
Agorastos, A., Demiralay, C., & Huber, C. G. (2014). Influence of religious aspects and personal beliefs on psychological behavior: focus on anxiety disorders. Psychology research and behavior management , 7 , 93–101. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S43666
Lake, J., & Turner, M. S. (2017). Urgent need for improved mental health care and a more collaborative model of care. The Permanente journal , 21 , 17–024. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/17-024
Paris, J., Ricardo, A., & Raymond, D. (2019). Child growth and development . College of the Canyons.
Swihart, D.L., Yarrarapu, S., & Martin, R.L. (2020). Cultural religious competence in clinical practice. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493216/
