How many of us have gone through animal sounds or colours with our children? How many of us are trying to develop our little humans by teaching them correct names for different objects and actions?
How may of us are teaching our children the same things when it comes to their emotional and mental wellbeing?
Are we saying ‘I understand that you’re frustrated. What you are feeling is anger, and that is ok. Can you tell me what is making you angry about this situation?’
We fully accept that a toddler does not yet understand the difference between a lorry and a motorbike, yet expect them to know an array of different complex emotions and how to deal with them.
How many of our children are learning that their emotions don’t matter because the behaviour they are displaying is not acceptable?
How children many are learning to internalise their feelings instead of learning that all feelings are ok and a normal part of being human? Because surely we can’t expect children to handle adult emotions in an adult way? That’s what we’re supposed to teach them by helping them understand them.
With a growing number of children (and adults) with anxiety and depression, we need to look seriously at why.
Old disciplinary methods don’t really lend themselves to opening up the conversation with our children about what they are feeling and why.
If our children have a tantrum, we tell them to stop. As though they even have the brain development to be able to understand how.
If our children angrily lash out physically because they don’t understand the concept of yours and mine yet, we scold them for being naughty.
So we treat their responses to their emotions as we would adults (for whom tantrums and hitting are not acceptable) but then refuse to speak to them like adults by talking to them and trying to empathise with these huge emotional trips that they need our help navigating through.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for discipline. But if we try to see things from our children’s point of view, we will see that their actions are rarely because they are misbehaving just for the fun of it.
Usually they are needing attention or reconnection with their parents. In their undeveloped little minds, they don’t have the words or the ability to communicate with us in any other way!
They need understanding and help to ensure that as they grow into little adults, they have the tools available to navigate their own mental health effectively.
They won’t have them if they have to internalise every ‘negative’ emotion that they feel.
The post Are we helping or hindering our children’s mental health? appeared first on The Unmarked Road.
