How to Have a Happy Child

What might a meeting of entrepreneurs have to do with raising a happy child – read on, because it was an unexpected surprise for me too!

There was a great buzz in the upstairs room of The White Horse in Ballincollig Tuesday evening 19 April, as I and a group of other entrepreneurs chatted in anticipation of another inspirational evening hosted by Aodan Enright, founder and CEO of Smarter Egg. All of us who had previously attended one of these epic events knew we could expect a line-up of exceptional speakers.  As the lights dimmed, a hush fell over the room. All eyes focused on Aodan’s challenging introduction, apart from a few like myself, who can’t resist tweeting about the buzz, while it’s red-hot happening.

You may be thinking, ‘Val, what does this have to do with raising happy children?’  Well a lot, because the ‘red chair’ guest of the evening was Laurence McCahill  @welovelean of ‘The Happy Startup School’. He promotes happiness in business. Such a fabulous concept it’s gone viral.

And that gets me thinking – Koemba Parenting is all about more happiness in the home. 

Happiness is about love, fun, more smiles and living a beautiful life. A life worth living.

But how? Here are a few thoughts from the Smarter Egg evening to inspire us as parents.

Laurence’s vision for happier business ventures is ‘Inspire, Empower, Connect.’

A great vision for Parenting too!

‘Inspire, Empower, Connect.’

If you want to raise a happy child, ask yourself,

‘How do I inspire my child?’

‘How do I empower my child?’

‘How do I connect with my child, and how do I help my child connect with the fullness of  Life?’

Laurence recommended ‘The Happy Movie,’ which has deeply impacted him and his message.

‘The only way to be happy is to love.’  @TheHappyMovie

In Laurence’s own words:

‘If you want to be happy, be kind.’

Think about it. How do you choose to be today?

At work?

At home?

Will your children remember you as ‘kind’?

Before Laurence took the hot seat, Irish entrepreneur Colm O’Brien shared his amazing journey from a failed cafe to his thriving Carambola Kidz business, now providing more than 23 000 healthy school lunches in Ireland each day.

To read the heart-warming incident that  launched his business and what Colm says about creating success you’ll want to buy his book ‘Feeding Johnny – how to build a business despite the roadblocks.’

But, the thing is, his message also focused on what matters in life – helping others; another key to creating happiness.

‘Live from a centre of giving.’ Colm O’Brien

A final thought Colm shared is that it isn’t an attitude of ‘Pollyanna’ optimism that gets us through the tough times, but rather:

 “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”  Jim Stockdale

If you’re a parent going through a tough time right now, happiness might seem a hard choice. But it is a choice. A choice to ‘Inspire, Empower, Connect.’

Make happiness happen!  copyright ©ValMullally2016

Try writing out the quotes and thoughts  that inspire you in this post and put these in key places where you’ll see them each day. See what happens!

To discover more about being the parent you’d love to be, you’ll want to read Val’s new book ‘BEHAVE – What to Do When Your Child Won’t’ 

Catch a Parenting Masterclass with Parenting Expert Val Mullally before the summer! (LIMITED PLACES so book now!)

‘From Stressed Parent to Happy Family’  – Douglas, Cork  Thursday 26 May 2016

‘From Stressed Parent to Happy Family’ – Midleton, Co Cork.  Tuesday 31 May 2016

‘Behave – What To Do When Your Child Won’t’ – Gateway, Bandon. Thursday 2 June 201

‘How to Rediscover the JOY in Your Parenting’  – Kilkenny (TBC)

Contact Val on val@koemba.com for details.

 

Other related posts:  10 Tips for Parents on Being Kind to Yourself .

Helpful reading: ‘The Seven Habits of Happy Kids’ by Sean Covey