Contentment is the state of feeling satisfied with what you have, who you are or where you are.
That is to say, contentment is to appreciate the reality of the present and one of the key elements leading to happiness.
Being reliable companions to children with the rest of their life, parents desire to raise their kids into contented individuals.
What is the point of teaching your child to be an intelligent and brilliant person without teaching them to be happy and satisfied?
That’s why this article is going to provide parents with some helpful tips in teaching your child to be content:
1. Practicing gratitude
Initially, parents and children can start with being grateful since it is the optimal way to feel content.
Gratitude is the state of concentrating on what we have already had in our life instead of what we lack.
Moreover, research has shown that people with high levels of gratitude experience a large number of benefits that can make you feel happier and more confident in life.
Parents can commence with helping children pay attention to good things and look at them in a positive light.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude in children:
- Create a gratitude journal for family members: This is a promising way to practice gratitude.
Choose a time of day when family members are altogether to share and reflect each other experiences throughout the day. Family dinner is considered to be an apt time to look for the blessing.
During this time, guide your child to ponder from two to three things that he is grateful for, such as going to school on time, receiving a compliment from his teacher or helping a friend to stand up after falling.
Parents are suggested to help children focus on their advantages, habits and positive experiences so that they can be more satisfied with what they have in life.
Remind your children to mention specific people who love them, care for them or make them feel touched.
Another benefit of making a gratitude journal is if your child happens to go through a tough period of time, he can look back on this journal, which reminds him of how blessed he has been.
Last but not least, all family members are advised to commit to writing down good things on a daily or weekly basis, based on each family lifestyle and disposition.
If parents are at their wits end wondering how to make a gratitude journal for kids, you can refer to this video by Big Life Journal.
- Express gratitude directly: More than being polite or courtesy, it is about to appreciate others genuinely and be thankful for what they have done.
There are many different ways to express your gratitude to another person, either by phone, letter or face-to-face conversations.
Parents are recommended to teach their children to say simple sentences such as: “It was really kind of you to…”, “I really appreciate it when you helped me…” or “Thank you for being there for me when…”
Children can also convey gratitude by doing a favor for another person. For example, keeping the elevator open or holding the door open for people behind you.
One more simple way is to encourage your children to write or draw thank you cards to another person each week since those kind words can mean a lot to the one who receives the cards.
For more ideas of expressing gratitude to others, parents can refer to this article by Psych Central.
Another strategy of grateful expressions can be found in Brian Tracy’s video about The Four A’s of Expressing Gratitude.
2. Avoid comparison at all costs
With the development of social media, kids are easily prone to compare themselves with the lives of other friends.
For instance, if their friends post pictures of the purchase of the latest phone or an amazing pool party, your children would begin to wonder why they could not have the life as their friends do.
This is a tough thing that requires parents to seriously talk with their children.
Parents are advised to show children that comparing their lives to others will lead to discontentment since there will always be those who appear to have better things than you.
It is also suggested that children need to know the value of money so that they will know how difficult it is to earn money.
Parents can ask their children to do the chores and pay them a small amount of money for their efforts.
Another way is to ask your children before purchasing any item, such as is it worth to buy this thing or is it a good value for money.
Limiting children’s exposure to commercials is also a plus because advertisers aim to persuade that their product can make your children happy for a small price. Make sure to avoid those commercials at all costs.
Although the comparison is inevitable, parents can lower the chance of your children comparing with other people by sharing some of the struggles they have in this field.
By being altruistic and sincere, parents can help children overcome the fear of comparison to make them happier.
In order to stop the comparison game among children, parents and children can refer to this video made by Busbee Style on How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others.
One more helpful reference for parents is Propel Women’s article on How to Stop Playing the Comparison Game, make sure to check it out.
To sum up, being content is one of the most crucial emotions during the life of a child.
As Alfred Nobel has said: “Contentment is only the real wealth”, nurturing your child to contentment can help him reduce stress and anxiety, as well as make his life more grateful and enjoyable.
Although raising content children is a real challenge for parents, the key here is to set an example for your children and be patient. Parents should be the ones to be there for their children at any time and always willing to guide them through the learning process.