One of the best lessons we can all teach our kids is to experience joy as much as possible in their lives. Life is meant to be happy! When you build your life in a positive way, you attract more opportunities to experience good things and you will meet more people who radiate joy in their own lives.

Not everyone will agree on this point, as some people believe that life is about hard work and duty. They feel that joy is fleeting, something to be experienced rarely, or only something that fortunate people experience. I have even heard people say they are too busy to be happy. These people may be friends, other parents, or even teachers. This negative outlook can have a profound impact on your kids as they observe this attitude and behavior in others. Your children will be inspired by the joy you live in your own life.

As a parent, you want your children to know that being happy is a part of their natural state of being, and that each of us is in charge of maintaining our own happiness.

This can be a difficult concept for kids and even many adults to grasp, as we often want others to be in charge of our happiness and blame them if we’re not. The bottom line is that each and every person is personally responsible for how they feel.

Of course, we all experience things from others that we don’t like, and your kids are no exception. There may have been a bully at school who called them names. A teacher may have spoken sharply to them in class or blamed them for something.

It may seem natural and unavoidable to feel bad when things such as these happen, but as often as people say, “Someone made me feel bad,” the truth is that they are being reactive and reactions can be changed with practice.

You can teach your kids to notice how they are reacting to other people. Kids can develop an awareness of how they are feeling and learn to make a choice that is not a reactive one.

When you tap into your Internal Guidance System (IGS),you will be able to tell if you’re connected to your highest knowledge of what is right for you. This awareness helps you recapture your own joy by choosing reactions that feel good.

It’s important to know that you have the ability to fill your life with as many joyful experiences as possible.

No one can take your joy from you. Show your children how to value all the joyful moments they experience and store them in their hearts and minds. These happy moments build a strong foundation for their lives. Help them know they can tap into these memories in the future to keep your sense of joyfulness strong.

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© 2015. Sharon Ballantine. All Rights Reserved.