A Recipe for Happy Kids

Leo Tolstoy famously wrote,

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

That made me wonder what traits are shared by all happy families? If we can nail those down then we have a recipe for happy families and that means happy kids.

Of all the things that can go into making a happy family I think one is totally overlooked and underrated. FUN.
Having fun together is essential to having happy kids. I’m all for structure and routine. Count me in on character building and spiritual guidance, but if there is no FUN, I mean if it’s no FUN being part of your family then you will not have happy kids.

Make ‘Em Laugh

My Dad used to sing a silly song called , I Wanna Go Back to my Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua Hawaii.
It cracked us kids up. 😂 He had an old straw hat and some bongos and we thought he was better than Bob Hope. Here’s a little history of the song if you’re interested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Grass_Shack_in_Kealakekua,_Hawaii

We knew he had served in the South Pacific during the war so we totally thought he could speak Hawaiian. NOT! He was faking it, but it was fun.

How do you inject fun into your kid’s lives? What’s your deal? Impersonations, voices, animal sounds, can you yoyo, whistle, or do handstands? Are you a brilliant storyteller or musician? Whatever skills you’ve got I wanna encourage you to use them more.

One of the beauties of children is their innate capacity to laugh and have fun. Let’s help them do that while they’re not too cool for it. Those teen years will come and it will get harder and harder to engage and amuse them. 🥴

Here’s a wonderful article with some great ideas on how to amp up fun and laughter with your kids.
I especially love the Stories in the Round and Costume Dinner ideas.

10 Ways to Laugh More With Your Kids

Listen for Happy Kids

It’s so easy for our kids to become background noise throughout the day, but I wanna urge you to listen for laughter and the signs of happy moments. What was going on? Was it during a game, a TV show or some other silliness? Try to identify what sparks their happiness. Bring it up at dinner or bedtime. Remember the good times with them and talk about how those few little moments go in to making a great day. In that way you’re helping them store up happiness. Did you know the memory of happiness brings almost the same amount of enjoyment as the original moment held? The following quote is from a podcast transcript and the link below is to the podcast episode.👍

Studies show thinking about positive memories makes us more likely to feel a sense of satisfaction in life. It can also help change negative thought patterns, making us better at focusing on the things good happening now.

https://bit.ly/4hcSwoy

You’ve Got Mail

Mail makes us happy! We all love mail. Remember that movie with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? She says the little AOL phrase, “You’ve Got Mail” makes her happy. Something written just for us. But how much better when it’s something that we can handle and read and re-read and show to a friend.

So let me share an idea from a book I picked up in Target one rainy day. The book is called Folded Wisdom, Notes from Dad on Life, Love, and Growing Up. It’s by Joanna Guest. Her Dad was an artist and he started leaving notes with little illustrations for her and her younger brother Theo when they were seven and four. He was diligent and kept it up until they each graduated from high school. WOW! Here’s a link to it on Amazon.com.

https://bit.ly/3DQ4G8m

Let’s lower the bar a little and just aim to write something, a few lines once a week.
Like a mini-Newsletter with the goal of bringing a smile to your child’s face. Try a made up word. Or a made up animal. Maybe something like,

If you were an animal you would be part kangaroo because you jump more than you walk and part raccoon because you are always getting in to everything. You would be a KangaRoon😂 Let’s try to draw one tonight after dinner🖍️❤️

Something like this lets you child know that you love and accept them for who they are, even when they act like a kid.🙃

Looking for more on Family? Here a post on the Ties That Bind Us as Family. 🙂

The Family Ties That Bind Us

Let’s Connect

As always you can find me on Instagram @kellyjgrace or check out the Podcast at https://kellyjgrace.com/podcast/

Thanks for reading and feel free to share this post with anyone who has young kids.