I remember when I was young, I had a tendency to be a brat. I was extremely jealous of the way my parents used to treat my older brother. Whenever my parents would praise my brother because, in all honesty, he is hardworking and well behaved and generally a good boy, I’d get upset. Whenever my father would pick my brother over me, I’d get even more upset. All I wanted was for my parents to treat me as they treat my brother. Emotionally, I was violated and it made me bratty.
After a few years, an incident happened that created emotions in me – As usual I used to hate my brother for getting all the attention of my parents. One day I beat him very badly. I got very ashamed and was crying when my mother entered. She heard everything and asked me why I did that. I replied that I am not getting enough attention at home. She scolded me and asked my brother if everything had happened. I thought he’d tell her everything but proved me wrong and said he started fighting with me. That day, I realized what jealousy is and realized later on that being jealous and being bratty are two sides of the same coin.
My parents indeed believed in giving attention to all her children. As we all know, understanding emotions is the most important quality that should be passed on, and my father passed it on to my brother. That day onward my behavior was honest and I worked very hard.
Fortunately, I am now mature. I understand the value of emotional development and am now grateful to my parents. Here are a few ways I am now a better version of myself.
The Value of Emotional Development
As I was growing up, I was conditioned to believe that emotions are to be avoided at all costs. Being told what to feel, what not to feel, and when to feel it, is not the least bit healthy for children. I realized that kids and teens go through a lot of emotions. Thus, as a parent, it is important to understand what their kids need and what they feel at a particular time. This is why I decide to share the reasons why social and emotional development in children is important these days:
- Emotion teaches them how to think.
They are taught to think for themselves. They learn to pick their emotions. Emotions are the only thing that comes with a thought. In life, you cannot have one without the other.
- They are taught how to be empathetic.
The importance of knowing what to feel and when to feel it was present at a very young age. It is the ability to read others’ emotions that decides whether you would be the victim of a bully or a perceptive bully.
- Emotions also help in building personality.
If you let others have control over your feelings, you are basically giving them control over you. Children and teens should be taught to be the master of their emotions. They need to be taught how to handle their emotions in a positive manner.
- Emotions give them the strength to face difficult situations.
If you don’t respect a child’s emotions, they would feel like their emotions are not good and not healthy. This can result in their inferiority complex.
- Emotions help kids form their career goals.
Having a concrete goal in mind will help children to have a crystal clear vision of their dreams. The future may be hard to predict in a classroom, but it can be pretty clear in the mind. This is especially true with teenagers. The fact that you do exist is a critical emotion that they will eventually learn to feel in adulthood.
To nourish your kid’s social and emotional development, it is necessary that you engage in quality interactions on a daily basis depending on the age of your child. You should engage them in activities such as:
– Enrolling their name in social activities like participation in dance class, karate class, etc.
– You should take them out to various social events such as school, community, etc.
– You can encourage them to participate in the activities of their group
– They can take part in various events like school sporting events, field trips, etc.
– You can also write them meaningful letters and make them read and study.
– Let them go and play with kids in your neighborhood.
– Watch movies, cartoons, or other shows that teach emotional and social skills.
– Behave as you want them to behave with you and others.
It is wrong to tell children to be like others. Children learn what is decent by being treated fairly. Socialization is their education. When children learn about others, they not only acquire new information but also develop a sense of belonging. Accepting others for who they are and treating them in a friendly manner can encourage children to accept other people and they will also learn to evaluate.
Emotions are more powerful than knowledge. Teaching values can teach children that knowledge can be used as a tool to live a successful life. It is therefore important to keep children interested in learning. Make sure that you are giving them a great value to their education. Encourage them to learn in a fun and interesting manner.
If you want your children to be successful and good human beings, you must teach them the importance of emotions and how to express or handle them.
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You made a good point that developing empathy early on in life is important when taking care of children. I’d like to look for a childcare center soon so that my daughter could have a change of scenery during playtime. Perhaps finding one that’s focused on the emotional development of children would be a good idea.