Why Happiness?

As the mother of two small children, I spend an awful lot of time thinking, (or maybe obsessing?), about how to be the best parent possible. Google has become my very best friend since I entered into the realm of motherhood.  I research, consult and Pinterest on an embarrassingly regular basis. Thankfully, as I'm sure many of you know, there is a wealth of information available about how we can best raise our children.  This is wonderful. The only problem is, it sometimes seems like everyone and their mother, (pun intended!), consider themselves to be an expert on parenting and are more than happy to tell you what you should be doing, (or are doing wrong), with your child. And often times all the experts have opposing opinions starting with how you should birth your child and continuing into your child's adulthood. 

As a psychotherapist, I am very much aware that quality of the information available across the internet varies widely! And science is my friend. I love me some good, solid research particularly when it comes to mental health and well-being. This background has led to me to embrace, and more recently become certified in Positive Psychology. My favorite definition of positive psychology comes from the Positive Psychology Center out of the University of Pennsylvania and is as follows: "Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive." In much simpler terms, Positive Psychology is the study of what makes people happy.  (More on how happiness is defined later!) 

Most parents or parents-to-be have uttered the words, "I just want them to be happy." The beauty of positive psychology is that it actually draws a map for how to attain this goal! That's because research shows that a full 40% of our happiness is within our power to change. Think about that for a minute...Almost half of our happiness is fully within our own control! This is fabulous news for parents, as it means that we can focus our parenting in such a way that we maximize the probability that our children will learn the skills needed to lead happy lives. And we might just end up happier ourselves in the process!) Exploring ways that we can coach our young children to think and act in ways that promote life-long happiness, dear reader, is the purpose of this blog. 

But why focus on happiness?  Why not success? Or Health? Or even wealth? The answer is simple: research is showing that happiness is a key underpinning to all of these life domains. Happy people are in fact more successful than their unhappy counterparts. They earn more money and are less prone to many of the diseases that plague our society. And when people are really honest with themselves, pretty much everything they choose to do is with the aim of finding greater happiness… It seems that we are hardwired in our pursuit of happiness. 

So welcome to Positively Preschooler, where I will share my ideas and experiences with positive-psychology informed exercises, games, parenting techniques, and projects that are aimed to teach preschoolers the skills of happiness. I hope you will join me on my journey to parent, coach, and educate our little ones in the practices that will help them to create happy, fulfilling and joyful lives! 

With Sincere Gratitude, 

Christy