Raising Happiness

What do we wish most for our children? Next to being healthy, we want
them to be happy, of course! Fortunately, a wide array of scientific
studies show that happiness is a learned behavior, a muscle we can help
our children build and maintain.

Drawing on what psychology,
sociology, and neuroscience have proven about confidence, gratefulness,
and optimism, and using her own chaotic and often hilarious real-world
adventures as a mom to demonstrate dos and don'ts in action, Christine
Carter, Ph.D., executive director of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science
Center, boils the process down to 10 simple happiness-inducing steps.

With
great wit, wisdom, and compassion, Carter covers the day-to-day
pressure points of parenting—how best to discipline, get kids to school
and activities on time, and get dinner on the table—as well as the more
elusive issues of helping children build healthy friendships and develop
emotional intelligence. In these 10 key steps, she helps you interact
confidently and consistently with your kids to foster the skills,
habits, and mindsets that will set the stage for positive emotions now
and into their adolescence and beyond. You will discover:
 
• the best way avoid raising a brat—changing bad habits into good ones
• tips on how to change your kids' attitude into gratitude
• the trap of trying to be perfect—and how to stay clear of its pitfalls 
• the right way to praise kids—and why too much of the wrong kind can be just as bad as not enough
• the spirit of kindness—how to raise kind, compassionate, and loving children
• strategies for inspiring kids to do boring (but necessary) tasks—and become more self-motivated in the process
 
Complete with a series of "try this" tips, secrets, and strategies, Raising Happiness is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you instill joy in your kids—and, in the process, become more joyful yourself.