22/01/2025
There are so many times that our kids can throw the biggest feelings our way. Screaming, crying, tantrums, anger, frustration, hurting others; the list goes on. 😮💨
Big feelings are not something that can be changed or stopped, and nor should we try to. Big feelings are a part of the human experience and absolutely normal at all stages of development (even as adults we can struggle with big feelings!). 🫶
When we try to stop our kids from experiencing big feelings by fixing their problems, or by taking away whatever is causing them emotional pain, we also take away the opportunity for them to build the skills to process emotions in healthy ways that support their ability to adapt to adversity. When we allow young children to build their capacity to manage problems and their associated feelings, we are strengthening their resilience for problems that arise in adolescence and adulthood.
If we can’t fix the problem, what can we do? 🫡
We can help our children in moments of hardship by helping them to acknowledge their feelings and validate how hard it is to be overwhelmed with emotions that feel tricky. Our perspective of problems as adults is irrelevant here - what feels hard or important for our kids is not for us to decide, that is for them. When a drawing doesn’t turn our right, or an activity isn’t available that can be really difficult for them and we can validate that for our children. By validating and modelling how to sit with discomfort and work through big emotions, we are helping our kids to build the skills they need to get through hard times. 🫶✨
