Young children are often beset by strong emotions. Emotional challenges are a part of growing up and uncomfortable situations tend to elicit a mixed set of reactions in children ranging from anger, sadness, fear and worry. A toddler who loses her toy; a middle schooler who is ignored by his friend; a teenager dealing with being over-weight - all experience big emotions that require regulation. In some children, the reactions are instantaneous and intense while in others the distress builds up over time before leading to an outburst. How we react to our child’s emotions has an impact on their ability to handle their innermost feelings. As parents, we thus have a responsibility to help our child develop emotional intelligence for them to cope with the highs and lows of life.
Useful questions to ask ourselves
Before proceeding to read through the next few pages, it helps to think of the following questions:
» How do we know that our child is overwhelmed or stressed?
» What are the triggers for stress?
» What do we do to help the child feel calm? Does it work?
» What more can we do to help the child feel calm?
Building Emotional Resilience
Consider these scenarios:
» A four-year-old’s ice-cream melts and falls on the ground. She looks shocked but instead of bursting into tears, she composes herself and calmly asks whether she can have another.
» A 10-year-old’s playdate cancels at the last minute. He is angry and disappointed but instead of yelling he takes out a book and reads.
This story is from the March - April 2021 edition of ParentEdge.
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This story is from the March - April 2021 edition of ParentEdge.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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