- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preteenagers today articles
- preteenagers today q&a
- teenagers today articles
- teenagers today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Destined for Happiness
Is Your Teen Happy? Can You Help?
By Kelly Burgess
When asked what they want for their children's futures, parents often say, "I just want my child to be happy." Noble words, but beyond wanting our children to be happy, what do we do to help them find their way to happiness? Happiness is a difficult concept to define.
A study called Future of Youth Happiness: What Makes 12- to 24-Year-Olds Happy? may help both teens and parents define and set goals. The study was commissioned by MTV and the Associated Press and conducted by the research firm Social Technologies. Surveying a total of 1,200 12- to 24-year-olds from a variety of socioeconomic and racial backgrounds, the goal was to determine if teens are happy, what makes them happy and what they are doing to ensure future happiness.
Andy Hines, director of custom projects for Social Technologies, says they discovered that teens pursue happiness with three goals in mind: the pleasure of the moment, relationships with family and friends and the long-term search for meaning and purpose – in other words, friends, family and faith. Below is a closer look at a few significant categories in the study's conclusion and tips for what parents can do to help nurture teens in their journey toward long-term fulfillment.
It is probably no surprise to anyone that friends are and will continue to be important to young adults. Eighty percent of those polled said that having close friends is very or somewhat important; 23 percent said when they go out with friends they stop feeling unhappy. Dr. Jennifer Jo Brout, a psychologist and mother of 13-year-old triplets, says that parents need to have a realistic view of the importance of the peer group and to help their child nurture those relationships, not discount them.
"Confidence building starts early and much of that has to do with social success," Brout says. "We tell kids not to care what people think and not to worry about their peers, but that's unrealistic. To get to that point is a journey, and we have to foster our children's abilities to thrive in a variety of social situations, not just tell them to avoid them."