Euphoria, anger, sadness, and love – the power of emotions.
It wasn’t long ago that visible emotions were not welcome. When emotions took control of people, it was considered a loss of control. Being able to master and control one’s emotions was seen as the ultimate skill. But over time, pedagogy and behavioral science recognized that emotions serve a purpose.
That emotions are meaningful, important, and healthy. Not getting upset, for example, often means consciously not showing one’s feelings to oneself and to others. Emotions are the body’s response, triggering hormones and neurotransmitters. They set processes in motion. But when emotions are systematically suppressed, a person becomes emotionally numb. In fact, emotions protect and empower us, especially in following our important intuition. Emotions tell us, long before rational thought, what is right and what is wrong. What is good and what is not. Having a bad feeling means we should also follow it. Just as we should follow a good feeling.
Children should become familiar with the wide range of emotions. They should learn to name them. And to feel them. I am excited, I am sad, I am angry, and so on.
And once they have become acquainted with emotions and know them, they should learn to understand them. Emotions should be visible and need to be expressed. So that the child itself knows what is going on and so do the people around them. Being sad and actually feeling and expressing sadness are two very different things. The typical adult response: “You don’t need to be sad” is not very helpful. Nor is the question: “Why aren’t you happy?” Instead, we should ask: “What is making you sad?” And: “What do you need to be happy?”
In modern pedagogy, great importance is placed on children learning self-regulation. That is, how to deal with their emotions. Our nannies are familiar with this. And older family members will likely have to get used to it.
More articles
