Children who are happy. Just happy. Not children who are spoiled, pandered to, entitled, or worshipped. Instead, children who have what is truly needed for happiness: an identity rooted in love, security, nurturing, and belonging. Genuine family and community.
Describing children as “happy” doesn’t mean they are never “unhappy”. But because of the supportive adults around them they can develop, flourish and grow in ways appropriate to their age and circumstances. There are still plenty of disappointments and frustrations, but these children have trust in their caregivers who help them build resilience. In this relationship, the natural tasks of parenting in the form of boundaries and discipline are experienced through a lens of love and respect, and not as existential threats to the child’s happiness, identity, security, or sense of belonging.
Happy children are trained, nurtured and disciplined. “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. I heard recently that the original Hebrew has a slant within the “when he is old” statement that reads, “when he is old, it will not depart from him.” I can’t verify this interpretation, but it does ring with a sense of truth in that a seed has been planted that a “prodigal” child may one day return to.
Happy children receive a commandment with promise: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3
Children are a gift from God and tremendous source of our own joy and happiness. The design from God is that happy children come from happy families… Biblically described in Ephesians 5 and 6. A happy family formula. Something for husbands, wives and, children.
Like many of the Proverbs, these are not a guarantee but practical truth reflecting wisdom, reality, and principles. To argue against is foolish and inconsistent with Biblical teaching. To do so flies in the face of overwhelming social, cultural statistics, and stories about broken homes, fatherless children, and abusive, neglectful parenting.
The saddest statistics perhaps of all, is that America leads the world in the percentage of fatherless children. And a recent survey showed that 72% of participants said that “fatherlessness is the most significant problem facing families today and our society in general.”
We are grateful to all of you who have set places at your table to provide all the elements for a happy child and to you all who have generously provided the financial means for this place at the table to be set. Now more than 500.
Take a few minutes to learn more, be inspired and consider helping or setting a place at your own table. Watch here.
Please…do not grow weary in this well doing.
