Keep smiling it works!
I have heard it said that your most powerful gift (or call it weapon) is your smile. It has such potential to change situations and it can turn opinions and attitudes quickly on their head. It is simply a warm expression which sends a message to the other person that all is well and I am feeling pleased.
This short article is to remind us that when situations become too difficult or everything becomes overwhelming, just try smiling. Apart from anything else, it naturally reduces immediate anxiety.
A child reads much into a smile. For them it is a comforting message and one which reassures them that you are pleased and happy with your child. It says the world is a good place. This ongoing reassurance feeds into their feeling of being safe and secure and above all liked.
Here are some thoughts on the value of smiling.
When you are having a down moment with your child and don’t quite know how to respond, just smile and leave it at that for a while.
Reflect on each day and consider how often you smile at your child or any other situation that could bring a smile to your face. Children notice your responses to situations. Be a regular smiler, it has fringe benefits!
Leaving happy smiley notes around the house or placed in your child’s lunchbox can be a spontaneous thought for the child of feeling positive.
A smile sheds light on many situations. Even when you see a difficult situation is their scope for shedding some light and brightening the moment?
Having family meals together is a great time to smile and have a laugh at some happy times during the day. A smile ejects positivism and is registered by your child that all is well.
Try to see the bright side of life and this will automatically put a smile on your face. Children love to see that you have picked up on the bright side of any situation. Remember, keep the glass half full.
Children smile a lot. It is generally natural for them to feel happy. Encourage that happy disposition and try not to dampen their positive feelings which come to the surface quite naturally.
Talk about happy people that make you smile. This teaches a child that being happy is a valued disposition because they bring light into other people’s life.
I remember that often children would ask me to be with teachers that were happy and smiled a lot. They knew that such a disposition would be the best learning environment for them. If the child is happy, the child learns.
By smiling regularly, you are showing your child that being happy is a very good space in which to live. Smiling also has a way of drowning out those grumpy attitudes that can appear in family members. Smiles always win the day.
´Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available.’
- Jun Beggs