The right to happiness

I love when my son comes on errands with me. I know errands can be boring, but when he chooses to come with me we talk about how errands are part of taking care of our home (which is everyone's responsibility) and how they are more fun when we do them together.

If I am completely honest, I also really love it because my son is so polite and helpful (especially in public), and I enjoy the positive comments from strangers as they remark on how good of a helper he is or how kind he is when he chats with people.

It was while driving between errands that I was listening to the Happier podcast hosted by Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft. I thought my son was in the backseat reading, but he suddenly piped up and said, "Should we be doing all these happier tips and stuff?" I explained to him that we already do a lot of the tips that they suggest and that while not all the tips work for everyone, if he is interested in trying a new tip, I would be more than willing to try it too.

He went back to his reading and hasn't mentioned any tips he has wanted to try. It's easy for me to forget that we live in a world where happiness is something we are able to pursue in a supportive environment. That wasn't always the case. (And for reinforcement of that, I should probably get caught up on one of my other favorite podcasts: Stuff You Missed in History Class.)

Most parents want their children to be happy, and that is a good thing. The key, however, is helping children identify what makes them happy and teaching them how to pursue those interests.

What makes you really happy? Tell me in the comments.