As a parent, you are busy helping your kid in every which way you can. However, you are tired and stretched thin. It’s so easy to push your child’s emotions to the side. When they are trying to tell you something, it’s easy to keep doing the task at hand. What if we stopped what we were doing and dealt with our kids’ emotions? Let’s stop pretending our kids don’t have emotions. Here is how to make your children’s emotions important.
Stop and listen.
Again, not listening to your child is telling them that their emotions are not important. When you stop and listen to what your child is saying, you are encouraging them and showing them true love.
Get on their level.
I once heard this and have been practicing it heavily. Instead of standing over your child and yelling at them, get on their level and speak to them.
Have empathy for your child.
Instead of telling your child to “get over it”—try understanding where they are coming from. Empathy is an important thing for emotions. Your child needs to know that you understand how they feel. Don’t just bark at your child, try to have empathy.
Hide your frustration.
I know as a parent, it’s so easy to show frustration. However, when you show your child that you are mad, angry, or frustrated with them, you are telling them that your emotions are more important than theirs. I’m not saying to never be mad or annoyed, I’m just saying to be careful with how you relay those emotions to your child.
Let your child show his or her emotions.
Okay, I know I just told you to hide your frustration. But that’s because you know how to regulate your emotions, you have years of experience. When you tell your child that they can’t be upset or angry, they don’t know what to do with that. Instead of allowing to throw fits when they are angry, show them how to channel those emotions and talk to mom or dad.
As you can see, emotions are complicated, especially for children! Do you have any tips to add?