“There is only one happiness to life, to love and be loved.” –George Sand

You have profound power as a parent. In the pages that follow, you will learn ways to give your child the best chance of lifelong happiness. An additional bonus is that your future grandchildren and great-grandchildren will benefit enormously.

You have the profound power to create a consciousness in your child, and to develop skills, which will greatly increase the probability of your child’s future success in marriage and family relationships. Marital success will result in lifelong happiness. After faith in a Higher Power, this is the greatest gift that you could ever give your child.

Success in marriage and family relationships is the true source of happiness in life.

How many times have you heard it said, that on your deathbed, no one ever wishes that they had spent more time at the office? We all wish that we had devoted more time to what really matters…our closest family relationships.

Research backs my claim. Scientists began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938 during the Great Depression. The longitudinal study, the Harvard Study of Adult Development, revealed clues to leading healthy and happy lives.

Robert Waldinger, the fourth director of the Harvard Study, recorded his TED talk, titled “What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness,” in 2015. There is one major finding: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.

I am a firm believer in beginning with the end in mind, a notion made famous by the late author, educator, businessman and motivational speaker, Stephen Covey. If you apply the “begin with the end in mind” philosophy to parenting, the question must be asked, “What kind of human being do you want your child to become?” and “What really matters at the end of your child’s life?”

We train our children to succeed in school, athletics, sometimes in the arts. Some of us train our children in manners and health and wellness practices. Other than the unavoidable modeling that we do in our own relationships, few of us consciously train children for success in their most intimate relationship with their spouse or partner.

My intention is to present you with practical techniques that you can employ that will maximize your child’s chance of lifelong happiness. My aim is to create in you a consciousness about your child’s future success in marriage and family relationships, so that you can create that consciousness in your child. I encourage you to begin with the end in mind…your grown child’s truly happy, satisfying life, that is built upon conscious coupling and conscious family relationships. This training will make a profound difference. The strategies include:

1. Create a True Sense of Worthiness
2. Label and Speak about Feelings
3. Teach The Five Love Languages
4. Model Gratitude
5. Teach the Purpose and Beauty of Sexuality
6. Raise a Good Money Manager
7. Create a Consciousness about Successful Mate Selection
8. Create a Family Agreement
9. Eliminate the Divorce Mindset
10. Teach the Happy Marriage Formula

We will take a deep dive into each of these strategies. Stay tuned.