“Nothing can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness.”
—Leo Tolstoy

Covered in This Video:

• What we get when we give
• Why kindness makes us healthy and happy
• Broaden children’s “giving vocabularies”

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

This video is the 4th in a series about fostering the skills of luck, optimism, and generosity from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here. 

“Whatever you are doing, ask yourself, ‘What is the state of my mind?'”
–Dalai Lama

How can we parent more mindfully? I like to identify those situations in which I tend NOT to be very mindful, and then actually script for myself the change I’d like to make. I’ve found (and research shows) that we do better when we (1) identify an action trigger (e.g., when bickering begins in the back seat of the car) and (2) make specific plans for what to do next (I will practice noticing, labeling, accepting, and breathing).

For years I had post-it notes placed around my home that I would see in the typical places that I would “lose my mindfulness.” They said:

• Notice
• Label
• Accept
• Breathe

This video is the 2nd in a series about mindful parenting from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here.

Covered in this video:

• Parenting mindfully will help you parent more skillfully. It may also help you apply what you’ve learned in other themes even better.
• How do do it: Four steps to mindful parenting.
• Practicing Loving-Kindness with kids.

If you want to try out a loving-kindness meditation at bedtime tonight and you’d like more instruction, check out this short video.

.If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

This video is the 2nd in a series about avoiding beliefs or habits that make us unhappy from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here. 

Have you talked to your kids lately about what stresses them out? We parents do well to assess our own sources of stress. Even if we are stressed, we can model coping with stress positively by practice one (or more!) of the following:

1. Mindfulness and/or meditation.
2. Rest. Take a break from busyness. Get enough sleep.
3. Exercise.
4. Have some fun! Goof around a little! Have a moment of lightheartedness.
5. Spend time with friends and family. Schedule a date night, family game night, or go out with some friends.

Resources:
https://www.challengesuccess.org/

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

“Some pursue happiness, others create it.”
–Author unknown.

Covered in this video:

• Over-thinking about a problem or negative event doesn’t help
• Why ratios of positive to negative emotions matter
• Why “faking it” doesn’t work
• 3 Steps to feeling happier when we’ve felt bad
• A go-to list of techniques to feel happier instantly

Happiness Tip: Do something fun to authentically increase your positive emotions. Do you need to make a fun dance-party playlist? Find some YouTube videos that will make you all laugh? Dig up that book that inspires you?

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

This video is the 1st in a series about how parents can foster the skills of luck, optimism, and generosity in their children, from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here. 

“Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children. Now, I have six children and no theories.”
— John Wilmot

Whether or not you have a baby living under your roof right now, developing an Empathy Reflex will serve you well. It will improve your romantic relationship, and it will improve your parenting! .

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

This video is the 1st in a set of bonus videos from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here. 

“A person in flow is completely focused…self-consciousness disappears, yet one feels stronger than usual. When a person’s entire being is stretched in the full functioning of body and mind, whatever one does becomes worth doing for its own sake; living becomes its own justification.”

–Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

This video is the 4th in a series about mindful parenting from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here. Covered in this video:

• Why creativity is an important life-skill, and how to foster it
• Using savoring to amplify happiness
• What your parenting style has to do with how much “flow” your kids experience

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

–Plato

Do your kids get daily playtime, some downtime, and some family time? If not, why not actually schedule some playtime, downtime, and family time for your children each day. Feel free to add some extra time on the weekends!

This video is the 3rd in a series about mindful parenting from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here.

Covered in this video:

• The value of play for self-discipline
• Are you over-scheduling your children? 4 questions to ask yourself to find out.
• PDF: Playtime, Downtime, and Family Time

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If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.”–Welsh Proverb

This video is a great big shout-out to all the fantastic grandparents out there. Thank you for all the ways that you are making the world a happier place! It outlines five important ways that grandparents can increase happiness in their children and grandchildren.

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

This video is the 3rd in a set of bonus videos from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here. .

Want to know how to raise siblings who are friends? Or how to get kids to work out their arguments themselves? This video covers how to help kids practice the skills they need during conflict—BEFORE they are in a fight.

Resource:
10 Steps to Peace handout

If you would like to download the audio version of this video to listen to in your car or on the go, click the link below. DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO VERSION HERE.

This video is the 3rd in a series about avoiding beliefs or habits that make us unhappy from The Raising Happiness Homestudy. Check out the rest of the Homestudy here.