I think it’s time we stop trying to make our kids “happy.”
I know. I know.
Super unpopular opinion.
But I don’t think that’s my job.
I don’t think I am called to make my kids “happy.”
I think my job is to help them find their own happy.
And here’s how I am figuring out how to do it.
I don’t make it easy for them.
And I try incredibly hard not to give in.
I think it’s like this:
They need to fail.
They need disappointment.
They need to know how to handle the hard.
They need to learn how to fall, gracefully so they can get back up.
They need to figure things out, work things out, wrestle with the hard and know they can safely come to mom for guidance.
But I think this is our job:
Show them we actually struggle.
Show them how we work through.
Show them how we handle conflict through healthy conversation.
Show them that it isn’t easy for us.
Show them how when we fail, we get back up.
Show them how we deal with disappointment.
