Ask Not If Your Kids Are Happy
Ask if they’re useful
Of course, we want our kids to be happy
If for no other reason than they’re a lot easier to be around when they’re happy. When our kids are joyful, they’re adorable again. We feel good about ourselves as parents. We remember why we wanted children in the first place.
But be honest: if you have more than one child at home under the age of 18 (or possibly 32), how many times in any given day are all of your spawn happy at the same time? And no, being zonked out in front of a screen doesn’t count.
That’s what I thought. Don’t beat yourself up. After all, how much of the day do you spend in a state of bliss? Especially nowadays, amidst the endless, scary slog of the pandemic. Your kids haven’t been to “real” school in months, or if they have, it’s only for half a day. They’re in each other’s hair, and your hair, and probably their own hair. If your home isn’t an all-out war zone, consider it a win.
Making them happy can’t be your goal
Once they’re past infancy, the stage wherein a full tummy, a dry bottom, and something shiny to play with equals contentment, your kids’ happiness is theirs to pursue. Your job is to provide conditions in which their successful growth is likely. Kids…
