Children have big emotions. In order to help them to learn to regulate their emotions, we must:
1) Let them feel them!
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward
Gratitude is crucial to our well-being and our social lives. Research from a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality found that “Over time, gratitude leads to lower stress and depression and higher levels of social support.”
As parents, we need to bring gratitude into our own lives and set a good example.
One of my favorite parts of working with young families is watching them grow closer together. I love to hear stories of how one little tweak improved the quality of their family’s interactions, and I ALWAYS appreciate when they take the time to share their stories with me. Jasmine recently took the time to share her story, and it made me so happy, I wanted to share it here. She said:
Wherever I go, I can’t help but notice the interactions between parents and children. It’s an occupational hazard, I guess. It’s not that I judge them—I have not forgotten what it’s like to raise two boys—it’s just that family interactions stand out to me, like misspelled words on a page.
I had the good fortune of being present to watch a beautiful interaction unfold between my friend and her almost-5-year-old daughter the other day.
Take a minute to think about your good friends. When you choose a friend, do you look for someone who:
•Does not recognize her own value as a person?•Does not believe in himself or his abilities?•Cannot restrain her strong emotions and actions?•Does not feel thankful for what he has?
NO? Then remember that these mindsets and abilities are formed from a very young age and have everything to do with how we choose to discipline our children.