How To Succeed In Emotional Education

The emotional education of children is one of the highest priorities for parents, as teaching the little ones what they need to have a healthy, happy and full life is the best way to prevent them from having turmoil in other phases of life.

So, how to teach children the value of emotions, how to know how to recognize and differentiate feelings, how to express them, how to deal with their own feelings and those of others, knowing how to emotionally connect with themselves and with other people…

There is so much to learn that emotional education continues throughout life, and it’s not just a job for parents.

The school, friends, teachers, neighbors, other family members and other children also collaborate to forge the child’s character and to work on their emotional education. The society and culture in which the child lives are also important.

But parents can do a lot, of course, for their children to have a healthy emotional life, check out our tips:

1. Take care of your own emotional education

Children learn by example. They watch adults carefully, especially parents, and consider the perfect father and mother, people who guarantee their safety and comfort in life.

Nobody is perfect, but kids can’t understand that. You don’t have to be perfect to raise a child well. Just try your hardest to balance your emotions, be honest, and cultivate love in all areas of your life.

If you have difficulty dealing with anger, for example, the child will notice and be affected by it.

One or both parents with anxiety issues, compulsions (such as overeating or shopping), addictions and other disorders related to emotional life also influence how the child perceives the world of emotions and relates to them.

If you or your partner need help, look for a good therapist with whom you can relate.

As you work on your own emotions and look for your own emotional health, you will be teaching your child an important lesson: that no one is perfect, but that we can seek and get help to balance our emotions and lead a healthy life.

2. Praise, but teach that the child’s value is not in their talents

“She is so beautiful”, “He is so brave”, “She is excellent at math, doesn’t even need to study much”, “He is a leader, born to lead”.

These phrases sound excellent for boosting a child’s self-esteem, but when used to excess, they can give the impression that the child’s value lies in their talents or abilities.

Every human being, from an early age, wants to be loved for what he is, regardless of what he has or what abilities he has.

Always make it clear to your child that you will always love him, no matter if he doesn’t always get a 10 on his school exams, if he fails in a sporting activity or if he isn’t considered the prettiest child at the party, for example.

3. Teach the child to deal with frustration and waiting

The “marshmallow test” is very famous, in which small children are placed individually in a room, with a marshmallow in front of them.

They don’t know they’re being filmed. A researcher explains to the child that if he waits 15-20 minutes, he can get one more marshmallow, and eat two instead of one.

Most of the little ones eat the marshmallow before the agreed time, because they can’t wait. Some manage to distract themselves by playing with their fingers, averting their eyes from the candy, or humming, and they get two candies.

The survey followed the children’s growth and found that those who were able to wait were more likely to reach their goals in life.

It is critical to teach children the value of waiting and dealing with frustration. After all, no one gets everything they want, when they want it, the way they want it.

At all times, we need to understand that our wishes must be in harmony with circumstances and with the wishes and possibilities of others in order for our wishes to come true.

A simple example is when a child wants an expensive toy that their parents cannot afford at the moment, or when they only want to eat their favorite foods, such as chocolate, candy, and potato chips.

By handling frustration well, children are much more likely to be happy adults.

4. Educate with love for a good emotional education

The child feels the sincere love of his parents and depends on it for health on all levels, not just emotional.

A child who feels rejected by his parents can develop severe disorders, low self-esteem, poor trust in other people, depression, and self-destructive impulses.

Make time to play with your children, to talk, to have fun as a family, to talk about important matters. Show your interest in the child’s well-being and you’ll notice that she reciprocates with great affection and emotional security.