“Shallow men and women live that they may eat and drink, whereas happy men and women eat and drink that they may live.” - Sokrates of Athens, 469-399 B.C.E.
Happiness is one of the hot topics at Everything New,
The School For Uncommon Sense!
To raise happy children, we must first agree on what happiness is and how to find it. I have asked many children what makes them happy. I get an array of answers, such as: a huge variety of sweets and other foods, screen time, books, objects such as toys, friends, family and pets.
Children tend to relate to happiness as something they will feel “if only they could have...” And then if they don't get it, they get upset, or, worse case scenario, even throw a #tantrum !
But because children are still very open and innocent, they can easily connect to inherent happiness when given the opportunity.
At Everything New Academy,
we talk about 2 different types of happiness:
Short-term or high happiness
Long-term or deep happiness
Here are some of the definitions of long and short-term happiness given by children:
-“short-term happiness is like eating an ice-cream and feeling happy the whole time you are eating it, but then it is gone, and you want more, or you want something else.”
-Another child described long-term happiness as feeling completely happy and full lying on a trampoline outside looking up at the trees. “There was no reason for it, it just simply was the case”.
-“Deep happy is something you feel in your heart and will stay there forever. Example- I saw my dad yesterday and when he had to leave he gave me a huge hug, I can still feel the happiness of that same hug." *
It is very rewarding to dive into the subject of #happiness with #children, and to help them discover and feel the difference between high happy, and deep happy.
Happiness is not in things, but in feeling, in being,
and in love.
And yes, happiness that is inherent, and therefore not caused from without, is something we can choose, even when it is difficult!
In our book The Heart-Strong Warrior & How To Be One you can find some fun #games and #exercises you can do with your children to discover deep happiness.
* Marrero, Frank. Big Philosophy For Little Kids. 2019.
A big thank you to my source on short-term and long-term happiness Frank Marrero, who's book inspired me and is highly recommended reading material for anyone with children!