Q: How to raise a happy child ?

This is every parent's goal. Behind every happy child is a hardworking parent! I hope some tips I'm sharing below will work for you.

1. Provide a loving environment - happy parents lead to happy kids. It is important to put aside time to nurture your relationship with your spouse. Date nights are recommended but just having some time when your kids are asleep to talk about your day or watch tv together can provide some connection time.

2.Aligning of parent styles- this I found was very important. Parenthood is difficult and given the spectrum of issues you deal with, it is worth spending time to discuss and align or agree on your parenting styles. This will reduce inconsistency in the rules you apply to your child. This is also applicable if you have other caregivers besides your spouse.

3.Plenty of outdoor time -running around and exploring at the nearby parks and playgrounds helps build up motor skills, encourage him to enjoy sports, gets him in touch with nature and away from electronic distractions.

4.Plenty of rest - Ensuring that your child gets sufficient rest throughout the day, sleeping at age appropriate hours (eg. For preschoolers, they should get at least 10-12 hours of sleep). Studies have shown that getting sufficient rest is key to memory retention and affects how well they learn.

5. Allow your child space to build independence and resilience - do not be a helicopter parent and rush in to help them whenever they have a problem. Step back and back them and allow them to find their own solutions.

6. Focus on values rather than academic results - think about the values that you would like your child to grown up with (eg. Being persistent in seeing an activity through, sparing a thought for others, being forgiving etc) and role model those values instead of nagging them whenever they deviate. Positive reinforcement works better.

Lastly, patience, patience and more patience from a harried parent is always appreciated.