{"id":92,"date":"2014-04-09T13:42:58","date_gmt":"2014-04-09T13:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/parentingonpurpose\/?p=92"},"modified":"2014-04-09T13:42:58","modified_gmt":"2014-04-09T13:42:58","slug":"raising-kids-to-have-a-fun-loving-attitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/parentingonpurpose\/2014\/04\/raising-kids-to-have-a-fun-loving-attitude.html","title":{"rendered":"Raising Kids To Have A Fun Loving Attitude"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/368\/2014\/04\/FUN250.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-94\" alt=\"FUN250\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/368\/2014\/04\/FUN250.jpg\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a>One of the challenges parents have in raising kids is finding the balance in life. Often, with the pressures that are placed on us at work and on our children at school, it\u2019s easy to forget that life is supposed to be fun. Rather than only focusing on responsibilities, you can also teach your kids about the process of creating and that life is meant to be fun.<\/p>\n<p>When you are creating something in your life, you are involved in your \u201cprocess.\u201d Typically, you think of the process as the means to the end &#8212; the process is the actions that you take to achieve the result you are looking for.<\/p>\n<p>Going to school, studying, and taking tests could then be viewed as the process by which you get your education. Your education is the process by which you get your first job. Your various jobs are the process by which you achieve your career, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>This is all quite mechanical sounding, isn\u2019t it? It doesn\u2019t take into account how you feel about the process, and your feelings are quite important. It is how you feel about the process that actually determines your end result, and it\u2019s important for our kids to learn this.<\/p>\n<p>The process will unfold, whether you are enjoying it or not. If you let it unfold more easily, then you will have more fun during the process and you will enjoy the manifested result as well.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there will be important deadlines and expectations at school and in your job that you must meet, but are you placing other pressures on yourself, or are your children placing expectations upon themselves that impact the enjoyment of the process?<\/p>\n<p>Even when faced with a deadline that you can\u2019t control, you can choose to have fun and feel good about the process. When you do, this allows everything to flow in a much easier way.<\/p>\n<p>By being willing to let go of attachment to a specific result, you are open to the possibilities that are ahead of you. This openness will allow for more fun in your life and help guide you on the path that is best suited for your nature.<\/p>\n<p>You can actively teach your kids to be open to a positive, fun process, and you can also demonstrate it so they can model your behavior.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When ideas are not flowing or life feels like a struggle, it is a good time to take a deep breath and reevaluate your current process. Are you attached to a certain outcome? Relax and listen to your internal guidance on how to appreciate and even adjust your process.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By being open to what feels good to you, you allow your unique spirit and skills to shine. This is where the fun in life happens. Inspiration and ideas begin to flow. Young children instinctively know this, and we can foster and encourage our kids to carry this way of being their whole lives.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Please feel free to comment!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 2014. \u00a0Sharon Ballantine. \u00a0All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-size: 14px;line-height: 1.5em\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; One of the challenges parents have in raising kids is finding the balance in life. Often, with the pressures that are placed on us at work and on our children at school, it\u2019s easy to forget that life is supposed to be fun. Rather than only focusing on responsibilities, you can also teach your&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":569,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Raising Kids To Have A Fun Loving Attitude - Parenting on Purpose<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/parentingonpurpose\/2014\/04\/raising-kids-to-have-a-fun-loving-attitude.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Raising Kids To Have A Fun Loving Attitude - Parenting on Purpose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; One of the challenges parents have in raising kids is finding the balance in life. Often, with the pressures that are placed on us at work and on our children at school, it\u2019s easy to forget that life is supposed to be fun. Rather than only focusing on responsibilities, you can also teach your&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/parentingonpurpose\/2014\/04\/raising-kids-to-have-a-fun-loving-attitude.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Parenting on Purpose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-09T13:42:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/parentingonpurpose\/files\/2014\/04\/FUN250.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"srballantine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Raising Kids To Have A Fun Loving Attitude - Parenting on Purpose","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/parentingonpurpose\/2014\/04\/raising-kids-to-have-a-fun-loving-attitude.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Raising Kids To Have A Fun Loving Attitude - Parenting on Purpose","og_description":"&nbsp; One of the challenges parents have in raising kids is finding the balance in life. 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