A recent survey revealed that 73% of Americans believe that happiness is the number one goal of raising children.

Is this really the goal of parenting? Think about what it would look like for a parent to maintain a child's happiness:  providing lots of entertainment, treats and trophies while at the same time smoothing over the disappointments and failures.

With happiness as the goal, you will find yourself struggling to orchestrate your child's life to maximize the gifts/experiences/prizes and minimize the gaps between those peaks.   This is not sustainable, for you or for them....

The last time I was blissfully happy, I was on vacation, surrounded by family and great food.  Sounds great, right?  Unfortunately, the vacation ended and I was back to work and the gym. Reality strikes again.

Adulthood is filled with long gaps between "gifts/experiences/prizes" and our kids need to have the skills to navigate the gaps and overcome the challenges.

According to child psychologist, Debra Kessler, "Challenges avoided or never faced put the child at risk for being vulnerable, insecure, defensive, fearful, or confused."  

Lasting happiness is created when you have the skills to endure and overcome the complexities of adulthood. 

As parents, we must shift our focus away from happiness toward more important traits.  What are those traits?  Check them out below (want a copy for yourself?  click the image for a copy).