Raising Happy Children

Being a Great Parent There are several ways to raise happy, well-adjusted kids, however, science has a couple of tips for ensuring they turn out okay. From keeping it interesting to allowing them leave the nest, here are 10 research-based tips for great parenting.

Don't be duped by their height

No matter how tall they get or how grown-up they seem, your children are still just that... kids. And parents of older kids especially have to bear in mind this simple fact, based on Sara Johnson, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The developmental period known as adolescence lasts approximately ten years -- from ages 11 to 19 -- and it's considered a critical time for brain development. So it's important to keep in mind that, even as kids grow into young adults, they're still in a developmental phase that can affect the rest of their life,

Encourage friendships

Preteen and teenage friendships may occasionally seem a bit baffling to parents (why would anyone want to walk around the mall for hours and hours?) , but these relationships are very essential for the development of a child's social abilities. They're practicing adult social abilities in a secure setting, and they are really bad at it initially, said Sheryl Feinstein. Friends help adolescents learn skills such as negotiating, compromising and group planning.

Dads: Get involved

Forget the stereotype of the bumbling father who doesn't even know how to change a diaper. Research consistently indicates that dads are just as good at this parenting thing as mothers. What's more, dads deliver a lot of valuable parenting abilities to the table. Fathers strongly influence their kids' lives in a number of ways, based on W. Brad Wilcox, a sociologist at the University of Virginia who studies marriage and families. Primarily, dads tend to play harder with children than moms do, which helps children learn to control their own bodies and emotions. Dad's hands on manner of play also encourages healthy risk-taking, which can influence a kid 's aspirations in the long term, Wilcox told Live Science at 2013. A powerful paternal relationship also brings with it a certain amount of protection, as research has found that children with involved fathers are less likely to become the victims of sexual abuse or assault, he said.

Don't Aim For Perfection

No one 's perfect, so don't torture yourself be an impossibly large bar for parenting achievement. According to a study published in 2011 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, new parents that think society expects perfection from them are far more worried and less confident in their parenting skills. And no wonder! Make an effort to ignore the stress, and you may find yourself a more relaxed parent.