Greater Good

Hello there!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving; this year I am particularly grateful for my job and to have such wonderful readers like you! Thank you for making my work meaningful. 

This week I posted a new article about the needs of teens, which was really fun for me to write. (And a welcome follow up to “The Kids Are Not Alright”).

If you’re already feeling over-whelmed by the holidays, I hope you’ll use the resources on our website! Lots of tips and tricks for preventing holiday fatigue and getting the most out of this “happiest time of the year.”

Warmest regards, 

Here’s what was on the blog in November… 

Video:
Holiday Gratitude Traditions
Tis the season to foster gratitude in kids.

Why Gratitude Works
Why “thank you” is so important to happiness and life satisfaction.
 
Main Dish:
The Kids Are Not Alright
Do you think you worry too much about your children? Too little? How much is enough?

Preventing Holiday Fatigue
Gratitude is the key to happiness—especially when we are busy and stressed.

What Teens Need
Sometimes, they need carefully calibrated danger.

Podcasts:
Do You Have Enough Friends?
A new study quantifies the importance of adult friendship.

Working on the Weekend?
Finding ways to reduce stress and anxiety over the weekend.

Giving Thanks
Helping kids understand the value of gratitude.

 
I’m really excited to introduce our new video series, which is different from anything I’ve done before. We took 20+ of your most frequently asked parenting or happiness questions, and I answered them in these frank,  1-2 minute videos. We’ll be rolling out a couple of new videos every month through next summer.

I hope you enjoy this new series! Please take a minute to tell me what you think in the comment section. 

May you be happy,

Here’s what was on the blog in October… 

New Video Series:
3 Ways to Raise Kind Kids  
First video in a new series!

Is Happiness Learnable?  
Happiness isn’t only determined by genetics. It’s a skill we can develop with practice.
 
Main Dish:
How to Get Your Household to Run Itself 
An old standby that really works
 
How to Deal with Misbehaving Kids  
The cure for “empty threat syndrome.”

Podcasts: 
 
Getting Kids to Play by Themselves  
Strategies that work—and aren’t the TV. 

Keeping Kids Safe-and Happy!-on Facebook  
What should we teach our children about Facebook? 

Dealing with “Sass Mouth”
Do your kids talk back to you? 

Bullies, Bystanders, and Really Kind Kids
Tips for raising children who don’t push others around.

Part of what I love most about this time of year is watching new-school-year friendships bud. If we’ve learned anything in the last 100 years of research related to happiness, it is that people’s happiness is best predicted by their ties to friends and family. 

Now we have a new study that gives us a little more detail about that. This new research, based on 6,500 middle-aged folks in the UK, found that people who had 10 or more friends they saw in person at least once a month had greater well-being. Family was also very important, but just for men. (Perhaps family obligations neutralize some of the happiness-effects of relative relationships for women.) The take-away is that friends are really important for happiness, and quantity counts. 

A grown-up playdate!

Hopefully this September has been a time when your children have made new friendships and deepened their old ones; I also hope that this fall is a time for us parents to deepen our own relationships.

Here are some of my favorite (easy!) ways to foster deeper friendships:

(1) Plan a “recurring playdate” with a group of friends. Try hiking together the first Monday of every month, seeing a movie every Thursday night, or having a “family dinner” with friends every Sunday. When we ritualize our relationships like this, we take out the hassle of having to plan and organize time to get together. People who meet regularly like this tend to deepen their relationships faster.

(2) Be a “joiner.” Americans today are less likely than they were in generations past to join groups like a bowling league or a Bible study. This difference negatively impacts our health and happiness. So the next time you are invited to join a book club or a yoga class that meets regularly, consider doing it!

(3) Connect to your besties. Find a regular time to call them and touch bases, so that no more than a week goes by without hearing the latest and greatest. Maybe you have some down-time during a commute to reach out, or can dedicate Wednesday evenings to making a few calls. 

May you be happy,

Here’s what was on the blog in September… 

Happiness is…the Weekend?
How to make weekends joyful. 

Greater Happiness in 5 Minutes a Day
How to teach kids loving-kindness meditation.

Turning the Morning Blitz into School-Day Bliss
Five steps for peace before school. 

Podcasts: 
Getting in Good Habits
Want to meditate? Exercise? Floss?

A Free Tool for Calmer Parenting
Mindfulness as the antidote to busyness and frantic parenting. 

The Art of Saying No
For parents who do too much.