Do you think children should be sheltered from unhappiness?

No, children shouldn’t be sheltered from it, they should be made part of the event and their parents should teach them how to deal with the unhappiness and give them a voice. Even people who try to shelter their children from it, don’t succeed, because children picks up on it.

yes and no, obviously you want the best for your children and dont want to see them suffer, but you also dont want to raise them abnormally so that when they happen to be unhappy or be in an unhappy situaton, they dont know what to do about it or ho exactly to express their emotions

That is completely true, and I agree 100% with you on that.

No. Children grow up based on two things, happy and sad, good and bad, laugh and cry, and so on. How do they know that they are happy when they never really feel being unhappy. Let them feel and experience all parts of the events, like happy and sad. later on they will know how to appreciate happy moments and how to deal unhappiness. :)

No way, because then they won’t understand how to handle daily stresses and every and any thing they feel deeming as “unhappy” they will expect someone to do it for them

No, they just need to be tough how to survive trough it.

^?!… no. children need to know about the challenges that they will soon have to face. personally, i took it a lot easier when i knew that childhood was ending, i think its healthy for them and it puts reality into perspective. if you shelter them, when the unhappiness strikes, it will hit harder

Yes and no. I don’t think it’s a good thing when parents shelter their kids and bring them up in perfect cushioned lives. But having no shelter whatsoever isn’t a good thing either. Your kids need to make mistakes to learn from them, they need consequences and they need to get hurt. But they also need to feel loved, they need to feel special and cherished in this world.

Life is tough, and it’s good to learn this lesson before you move out of home. But that doesn’t mean you have to make their life miserable to teach them a lesson, in the same way it doesn’t mean you have to shelter them from everything slightly grey.

Well It Would Be Nice. But Un Realistic. Life Is Full Of Stress Disappointment And Sometimes Life Seems Unfair If They Were Happy All The Time.. They Could Not Be Resilient For The Times When They Lose That Game Or Get Sick Or Fail The Driving Test Or Math Test

No. Everybody makes mistakes and needs to learn to deal with it. At some point in their lives they must learn how to handle unhappiness or pain, and I believe it’s better sooner than later.

It would be nice to try, but since it isnt actually possible, why even try? By attempting to do that, you’re teaching them that unhappiness is somehow wrong, and they shouldnt be showing it. All emotions are part of life, better to teach them to accept their emotions than to try and constantly avoid them.

Well alot of it…but it should be good for them to know that things in the real world and in life aren’t handed to you on a silver platter…but they shouldn’t live an adults life at the age of like ten or something lol.

I think they should be. For the most part atleast. To keep them happy until a certain age. Maybe 4 should they start to be taught. If they don’t already know. It’s impossible to keep unhappiness out of their life. But to protect them from it is a parents responsibilty in my eyes.

For me? I teach my kids that things won’t always go their way or someone is bound to be mean. But to look at the best of things. so in a sense, being sheltered does not mean keeping it away and keeping them in your home 24/7. But teaching them that they are the one who can choose their situation and friends. They can make their life as happy as they want it and of course mama is always here to keep them happy as well. To have a positive outlook on life can be protection from unhappiness. to know that they are loved, cherished and special is protection. But to tell them they will never be let down is a lie. Lying is never good.

This is a great question! Thanks for asking it.

If you try to shelter a child from unhappiness, she will know it, and she may come to think that she’s not supposed to feel unhappy because unhappiness is bad. One reason we call them eMOTIONs is because when you feel them, they MOVE through you. It’s when you try to deny or stifle them that they get stuck, or you get stuck in them. So the important thing is to teach children that it’s really ok to feel unhappy, afraid, angry, etc., and that they can actually feel their feelings without getting overwhelmed by them, or blaming others for them. IMHO.