Happy Children Make Most People Happy; Happy People Make Children Happy.

Are all children born to be happy? Do happy people influence happy children? Is it distressing to see a sad child? Do happy people create happy children? The answer to all of these questions must surely be, 'Yes!'. Whenever a group of happy children are seen together, enjoying each others company, they seem to cast an air of happiness all around them. Who are the people who can not be happy when they see a group of youngsters talking and laughing together, probably about nothing in particular, whenever they come across them? Perhaps these scenes bring back memories when we ourselves were happy children, with not a care in the world. All children have the right to be happy, for their childhood lasts too briefly in their lives. Perhaps there is a tendency for all of us to say, 'When we were children, we were not allowed to do that!' or 'When we were children we had to do this.... or that...!' The same comments were probably made my our parents, and by their parents, and by all our ancestors, but times move on, and life and customs change. A happy child might be one who has everything he or she might wish for. A child who is aware of the love of the parent, even though pocessions are few, can still be a happy child.

Many years ago, during a visit to Sevilla, in southern Spain, away from the comparative opulence of the city center, two young children were seen playing in an earthen street lined with dwellings constructed of discarded metal sheets, salvaged timbers, and cardboard boxes. The children were crouching in the dust of the street, their bronzed faces and their tattered clothing seemed to have been untouched by water for days. The two children were playing with leaves that had fallen from the trees lining the street. They chattered and laughed together as they moved the leaves about with their small grubby hands, in the same way toy cars and toy soldiers were moved in days long remembered from a past childhood. These two children in Sevilla were certainly happy children even though their lifestyle had much to be desired.