Its never been easy to raise children and arguably its even more difficult now. In The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness Dr Edward Hallowell offers practical strategies for raising happy children. Through his work and research and his experience as a parent Hallowell has idenified two primary goals for children: that they develop a sense of connection with those around them and a sense of mastery over one or more areas of their lives. He has found that happiness lies in childhood-based skills such as playing and being able to make and keep friends; learning to tackle difficult tasks; dealing with success and failure with grace; and being able to delight in the moment. As a parent remember the following key things; Dont push you child in school - high academic achievement has no correlation with a happy adult life Put your efforts into helping your child become good at something that will become a passionate involvement (even if it is skateboarding!) Dont try to rush your childs development Teach your child good manners to help them to get on with people.