Happy Kids by Michael

Regardless of family form I believe parents should strive to make sure their families are:

Rich in love, with adults who have time for and are supportive of kid’s goals: Kids need to feel loved. They need adults who make time for them and adults who will help them achieve their goals.

Stable, predictable and chaos-free: A stable, chaos-free family environment provides the necessary background for kids to develop, grow and take risks. Kids crave a sense of predictablity in their lives.

Rich in supportive, social interactions: Kids need to be exposed to a variety of social experiences with adults and peers so they can hone their social skills. Similarly, they need plenty of opportunities to do things for themselves at home, at school and in their neighbourhoods.

Psychologically safe – mistakes are not thrown in their face: Kids need to grow up in an encouraging environment that allows them to make mistakes without fear of being constantly reminded of them, which creates a fear of failing. When kids fear failure, they act in safe ways and are less likely to stretch themselves.

Places of spontaneity, curiosity and fun: Healthy families enjoy each other’s company, or at least pull together when the chips are down. This seems to happen more in families where parents can lighten the tension, inject some humour and inspire kids to be interested in things and people other than themselves.