There are so many things that you try to teach your son or daughter. For example, you to teach them to stay neat and clean because you know this could have health repercussions down the road. You to teach them to be a good friend so that they will be able to socialize. You teach them to be respectful so that they will be respected. It is all part of being a parent.
Do you teach your child to be joyful? Do you teach your child how to experience joy? (Let me give a little disclaimer here – I did not do a good job at this. But it was a joy watching my wife teach my sons to experience joy.)
What would teaching joy look like? It might look something like the “Gratidudes” – a couple of guys who teach that you should do a happy dance when you are happy. A more mainstream example of this is the dances that football players do when they get a touchdown. What if you taught your child to do a happy dance every time they did well on a test?
Why should we reserve joy only for special occasions? Why not be joyful every day? When my family sits down for dinner we all say what we are happy and grateful for. This practice helps remind us that there is so much to be happy and grateful for. I once heard of a monk who did this practice and insisted on never being happy and grateful for the same thing twice. After a while he had to spend all day looking for something new to be grateful for. Wow! How many people do you know that spend all day looking for what is wrong? What a refreshing change.
So start teaching your child to exercise regular practices that focus on the good in their life and help bring them to a place of joy.
