The recent posting on Teaching Your Child Perseverance (thanks Doug) reminds me of the reading I am doing lately on Teaching Your Child Optimism.
Martin Seligman has a refreshing new focus on positive psychology as a counterbalance to the sometimes overemphasis on mental illness. He has studied happiness and come up with 6 virtues that are consistent over history and locations and then identified 24 character strengths within these virtues. I have read a couple of his books, including The Optimistic Child, which I highly recommend if you are looking for ways to help your child take a more positive attitude, and even avoid depression when they mature to adulthood. I must include this warning, however: helping our children to have a more positive perspective starts with modeling it ourselves ~ and that can be challenging!
I found a terrific summary of this book at
http://theparentingcenter.info/press_files/PPoptimism.pdf
Additional material can be accessed at
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
The lessons on creating alternative thoughts line up perfectly with the words of scripture. “…Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Rom. 12:2) and “take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)