the secret to RAISING HAPPY KIDS ~ part 2

WECOME TO PART 2 OF MY STORY...

in which I spoke to parenting guru Michael Grose to get his no-nonsense parenting advice!

{IF YOU MISSED PART 1 ~ CLICK HERE}

Here's the 2nd {of 6} key elements he believes will help you to raise happy, confident, well-behaved children…

2. CREATE A SENSE OF FAMILY COMMUNITY

“As families are becoming increasingly similar in this media age, it’s important to build and maintain distinctive traditions and rituals that make each family special and signify a child’s significance within his primary social group – his family,” says Grose. “Creating a sense of community in your family and building traditions and rituals also gives kids strong anchors back into family when they get older.”

“Rituals can be as simple as the way you habitually say to your child ‘I love you’ each day as he goes to school or the way you always read their favourite book before they go to bed,” he says. “The permanence and uniqueness of these rituals give them much of their significance, they’re like ‘coat hooks upon which we hang our family memories’.”

“Also try to focus more on what’s good for family, rather than each individual family member and start insisting that kids take an interest in each other, so the whole family benefits.”

how to develop rituals that bind your family together:

* Have regular family mealtimes that everyone in the family attends. Family mealtime is a simple but powerful ritual that brings people together.

* Have a regular one-on-one activity that involves each child such as a bedtime story or a weekly walk that you both can look forward to.

* Celebrate birthdays, Mother’s Day and Christmas in your family’s own unique or special way.

* Ask your children about the rituals, special occasions and celebrations that they most enjoy and let them contribute ideas on how to celebrate them.

{Michael Grose is one of Australia’s most popular writers and speakers on parenting and family matters. He’s written six books, including the best-selling Why First Borns Rule The World And Last Borns Want To Change It ~ and he educates both parents and teachers around the world on how to raise happy, well-adjusted kids and resilient teenagers ~ check out his blog HERE}

Stay tuned for part 3!