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Raising joyful kids, is it even possible in this day and age? Yes! I’m sharing the secret to raising joyful kids and how you can start today!
It is no secret that I struggle sometimes with joy. I know many of you do too. So, it worries me that my struggle will wear off on my kids. I mean if I have to remind myself to choose joy, how can I raise joyful kids?
But, here’s the secret to raising joyful kids….
You don’t have to be perfect!
That’s right. You can make mistakes. You can fail. The key to raising joyful kids isn’t perfection. It’s demonstration. It’s reaction. It’s MODELING what to do not only when we are choosing joy, but what to do when we DON’T.
What do I mean? Well, let’s take a look at how to raise joyful kids.
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#1~Model It
Now, this is easier said than done right? I mean when you are running late and everyone is still getting dressed, how do you naturally respond? With joy?
I’m going to bet the answer is NO. Responding this way takes practice. And learning this is something we can do alongside our kids through discussions about being joyful even when things aren’t going our way.
What does this look like? It’s remembering to apologize when we goof up and may have an act of anger. It’s reminding them after they spill that milk that you appreciate how the promptly began to clean it up. It’s telling them that you appreciate the kindness that they demonstrated by baking that cake for a neighbor while offering to help clean up the mess they left in the kitchen. It’s showing kindness to the cashier instead of patting your foot in frustration.
Our kids are going to have to SEE us model joy to model it themselves. We have the ability to walk alongside our children and point out all of the GOOD qualities and character they model each and every day. We have to model joy in our day to day actions. When we do this instead of grumbling and complaining we are modeling joy. We are also living in a much more joyful home which is always a good thing.
#2~Find Joy in the Little Things
Joy in simplicity. I think this is SO important to model to our kids. The world tells them that they need physical things to be happy. What do we model to them? If we’re honest sometimes it’s probably physical wants. But, again we don’t need to be perfect. We can also model the joy we find in the little things.
A walk in the park. A day of rest. A smile from a stranger. An unexpected blessing in the mail. A PJ and movie day. A quick break from school to laugh at a goofy sibling. These are all little things. BUT, do they bring us joy? Of course, they do! Take the time to enjoy it. Share those little moments with your kids.
#3~ Study JOY
It is so important to remember that joyfulness is a virtue. As you go throughout Scripture you will find that many times the people struggled with joy. They dealt with bitterness. They questioned God. They made wrong choices. But, in the end, many also experienced JOY. The Bible shows us that God can and will bring joy into our lives. How? Through unexpected blessings like Isaac for Abraham and Sarah. Through a baby named Jesus who brings JOY to the world. Through many other people throughout scripture and through US by spreading the good news to those we come in contact with. The virtue of JOY is so important to each and every one of us. We study scripture using a few different resources.
Raising kids with character can be a challenge in today’s society. However, with a little bit of work, training, and modeling from you, you can raise happy and joyful kids!