Al-Jazirah newspaper

ON March 20, the world celebrated the International Day of Happiness. It was followed next day, March 21, by the Mother's Day.

This year the Mother's Day in our country was more conspicuous and openly celebrated than the previous years. Celebrations were held everywhere. Even the employees in their companies and offices celebrated the day in their own ways.

The streets participated in the celebrations. Volunteers distributed flowers and roses. They gave a rose to every mother they met. Even in the beauty salon where I usually go, the volunteers distributed roses among women customers and staff.

I felt that these two celebrations — the Happiness Day and the Mother's Day — were interlinked. When you ask any mother what she wants for her children, she will reply without hesitation that she wants them to be happy.

How can parents give happiness to their children?

Studies suggest a number of steps by which parents can make their children happier. Happy children are more successful in their social, professional and family lives. They are rated high in their work or school performance. They will have better jobs and are better paid than the unhappy ones. Here are the steps that I hope would lead us to happiness:

The first of these steps begins with the parents themselves. They should themselves be happy so that they will transmit this happiness to their children. The relationship is very strong between the parents' feeling of unhappiness and the bad behavior of their children. Happy parents will usually have happy children. This has nothing to do with the genes.

As a second step, parents should teach their children how to build strong relationships and encourage them to take initiatives. They should teach the children how to be giving and how to be nice to others.

The third step is to appreciate the efforts being made by children. They should not pester them to do more or to outdo others in their studies. Children will become worried and unhappy when their parents do not appreciate their efforts and ask them to score better grades in school. The frustration they feel at this early age may drive them to be drug addicts when they become older compared to other children whose parents accept what they do at their schools and will not compel them to further excel in their studies.

The fourth step to teach children how to be optimistic. Optimism is usually linked to happiness. The optimists are more successful and they enjoy good health and live longer than pessimists who constantly look depressed and frustrated.

The fifth step is to teach children "artificial intelligence". They should help them explicitly express their natural feelings.

The sixth step is to teach the kids how to express happiness by smiling, laughing and playing freely. Parents should not expect perfection from their children.

In the seventh step, parents should discipline their children and let them understand that disciplined people are more successful than the wayward.

The eighth step is to give children the opportunity to play. Technology has deprived children of the pleasure of playing, which is important for them to grow and develop.

The ninth step is to make home a happy place. Our environment usually influences us a great deal. A home where less TV is watched, the children will have more time to play together or with others, so they will grow up to be happier people.

In the tenth step, parents should be keen to have dinner with their children. This is a simple rule but is very effective. It will make the children happy and emotionally stable so they will not be depressed or turn to drugs to treat their depression.

These are simple steps that all parents can follow. Parents should feel closer to their children and should appreciate whatever efforts they are capable of making, instead of asking them to excel in everything.