Teaching Your Daughter Happiness
In addition to encouraging your little girl's development of healthful habits, you want to ensure her attitude is positive. While it is unnatural to be happy every second — after all, there are tragic events in everyone's life at some time — you want to instill in her a deep sense of optimism. Teach her that she may not be able to control what happens at kindergarten or with her friends, but she can control her response to what happens.
“Humor” Your Girl
Your everyday expression will imprint itself on your girl's mind and heart. In this, she is a mirror image of you, so erase your frown and try your best to smile or laugh. Giggle with your daughter, tell funny stories, and read a book of goofy jokes or riddles together. The things that make you happy make her happy. So, model happiness as often as you can consistently and be sure to include the following important joy components by sharing with her:
An ability to lessen stress. Having a place for everything helps. Provide her with a bookcase and other storage space for her toys, papers, and favorite must-haves. Not being able to find her “blankie” can seriously stress out a little girl. Also teach her to soak in a warm tub, and play with her bath toys while soothing music wafts in from another room.
An ability to listen. What you want to do is start talk time. Every evening after supper and right before your little girl goes to sleep, ask her about her day, and let her talk about whatever. When she is close-mouthed, get her to open up.
Faith. Your spirituality will be a lodestar for her. So expose her to the religion of your choice, take her to the services, let her lift her little voice in prayer and/or song, and talk to her about the tenets of your belief, making sure her spiritual foundation is strong and solid.
That is how you make your daughter happy and productive. This process will be of great help as you guide her on to the next stage of her development — starting school.
