Raising Happy Children

Being a Good Parent There are many ways to raise happy, well-adjusted kids, but science has a few tips for making sure they turn out fine. From keeping it interesting to allowing them leave the nest, here are 10 research-based methods for great parenting.

Confirm the shy ones

A tiny bashfulness is one thing, but kids with behavioral inhibition -- a trait which refers to shyness and also extreme caution in the face of new situations -- may be at greater risk of developing anxiety disorders, according to investigators. And parents who shelter kids displaying behavioral inhibition (in effect, supporting this inhibition) may actually make the situation worse. So how can you support shy kids? The crucial thing is to get them out of the comfort zones without trying to change their character, said Sandee McClowry, a psychologist at New York University. Why don't you break them of their shy habbits? Research has revealed that shyness is part of a few children's character and an extremely hard trait to modify. In other words, it's better to work with shyness than it.

Be Positive

No real surprise here: Children who express negative emotions toward their infants or handle them roughly are very likely to wind up with competitive kindergartners. This 's bad thing, because behavioral aggression at age 5 is connected to aggression later in life, despite prospective romantic partners. So if you end up in a cycle of angry parent, mad infant, angrier parent, try to break loose. It will ease your issues in the long term.

Nurture Your Marriage

In case you're a parent with a significant other, don't allow your relationship with your partner or spouse fall by the wayside when baby is born. Parents who suffer from marital instability, like contemplating divorce, may place their babies up for sleep problems in toddlerhood, based on research published in May 2011 in the journal Child Development. The study found a troubled marriage when a baby is 9 months old contributes to trouble sleeping whenever the child is 18 months old. It may be that troubled homes are stressful homes, and that stress is the reason for the sleep problems. [6 Scientific Tips for a Successful Marriage]

LOL! Joking Helps

Lighten up! Joking with your toddler helps set them up for societal achievement, according to research presented in the Economic and Social Research Councils' Festival of Social Science 2011. When parents pretend and joke, it gives young children the tools to think creatively, make friends and handle stress. So feel free to play court jester -- your kids will thank you later. [Top 5 Benefits of Play]

Mamas, Be Good For Your Sons

An intimate relationship with their mothers can keep boys from exercising, according to a 2010 study. A hot, attached relationship with mother seems important in preventing behavior problems in toddlers, much more than in women, the study found. The findings, published in the journal Child Development, emphasize the demand to get secure attachment between children and their parents, a style in which children can go to mother and dad as a reassuring protected base before venturing to the wider world. The mother bond could also make for better love later in life, as another study reported in 2010 showed that a close relationship with a single 's mother in early adolescence (by age 14) was correlated with better-quality intimate relationships as young adults. Parents' relationships with their kids are incredibly important and that's how we develop our ability to achieve successful relationships as adults, our parents are our own models, study researcher Constance Gager, of Montclair State University in New Jersey, stated at the moment. So if children aren't feeling intimate with their parents they then 're most likely not going to model the positive elements of that relationship when they reach adulthood.