Amal Al-Sibai Saudi GazetteBeing a kid is fun. You get to do things adults either do not have time for or are too embarrassed to do, such as: coloring, drawing, playing with dolls and stuffed animals, racing remote control cars, swinging, and roller skating. Live each day to the fullest and enjoy your childhood while you can. However, even kids face problems at some time in their lives. Being young does not mean being totally worry free. The difficulties that kids have to deal with these days include: exam pressure, getting bullied, making friends, saving up enough money to buy a cool game, and cleaning up their rooms. And most of the time kids go through these hard times on their own. Tons of self-help articles are out there to teach grown-ups how to manage their work, money, parenting skills, and health. This article in today's Fun Times is dedicated to showing kids how they can be happier, more successful, and more likeable. Learn these seven habits to do better in school, get along with friends, and still have time to have fun. The Seven Habits of Happy Kids were put together by author and father, Sean Covey, and we wanted to introduce them to you. Habit 1 You are in charge When you are in a tough spot, do not wait for some miracle to come down and rescue you. Figure out what you need to do and do it. Take responsibility for your own situation. Examples: You got a bad grade in your last exam. Don't blame your teacher or make excuses that the subject is hard. Put more time into studying that subject, ask more questions in class, and learn from the mistakes you made. You are in a fight with your best friend and you are miserable because you miss her and she has been your best friend for four years. You should make the first move. Call and apologize and tell her how much she means to you. Habit 2 Have a Plan Always think ahead. It is best to write your plan or goals on paper. Seeing your goal in writing makes it seem real to you, and thus something that you can achieve. Revise your plan frequently to make sure that you are on the right track. Example: You have a spring break. If you plan it wisely in advance you will not end up with the feeling that your vacation is over and you did not accomplish anything. Look at this list that an eighth grader wrote for his holiday: Meet with a Qur'an teacher twice this week to help me in the difficult Surahs. Read the book: The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Study two chapters in science. Play bowling with friends at Iceland. Buy white jeans. By writing down his goals, he will be more likely to reach them because he will hold himself accountable at the end of the week. Habit 3 Work First, Then Play If students applied this rule, then they would never get behind in their studies, nor would they need to stay up late into the night to finish their homework. When it comes to doing homework, try to start as soon as you get home from school, and start with the hardest subject first. Habit 4 Everyone Can Win You do not have to get your way all the time. Sometimes you should give in to the wishes of a friend or your mom and find a way to make the best of it. Making someone else happy automatically bounces back to you and you will feel great. Example: Your dad asks you and your sister where you want to eat out for lunch. You want to go to Pizza Hut but your sister wants to go to a Chinese restaurant. You have one of two choices. You could stubbornly insist on going to Pizza Hut and act grumpy all day if you do not get your way. OR, you can cheer your sister up by giving her the chance to choose the restaurant. Look at the bright side, you will make your mom and dad proud of you and learn how to use chopsticks. Habit 5 Listen Before You Talk The best friend anyone can have is one who is a good listener. Here is how you can become a better listener: Make eye contact. Do not interrupt. Do not criticize. Pay attention to the face and tone of voice, because a sad person may need extra support like a hug or a compliment. Give advice only after the person has expressed his/her feelings. Habit 6 Together is Better Try to focus more on “We" than on “I". Helping each other and working together is more productive than standing alone. Sometimes you may have to sacrifice some of your needs for the good of the family or your class. Taking the time to help your slower classmates understand the lessons improves the progress of your entire class in the long run. Example: As any good sports player knows, teamwork is what will bring the team victory! TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More. You share your room with your brother and your mom demanded that she wants a clean room. Instead of arguing that the toys on the floor belong to your brother, help him clean the room. Work together so the job will get done quicker and then you can go play outside. Habit 7 Balance Feels Best The happiest person is a balanced person. What makes you unique as a human being is that there are four parts to who you are: body, heart, mind, and soul. To feel your best you have to pay attention to each part. If you ignore any one of these parts, your health or brain power or relationships may suffer. Examples: Taking care of your body: eating two servings of fruits every day and sleeping early. Taking care of your heart: chatting with a friend, hugging Mom before going to bed. Taking care of your mind: practicing math problems, reading an interesting book, or making a slide show using Power Point on the computer. Taking care of your soul: performing five daily prayers and making supplication for myself and my parents every night. By using the seven habits as tools in your everyday life, nothing can stand between you and happiness, confidence, success, and ever-lasting friendships.
