⭐️Emotional intelligence in kids is not a common term to hear, as we don't even know the real meaning of emotional intelligence. It is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. Do you think emotional intelligence is just for adults?
Well, let me tell you, NO! 🙅🏻♀️ Gentle parenting, positive discipline... Even the Montessori method is closely related to validating or teaching kids about emotions, which means emotional intelligence in kids. It's important to note that this concept does not mean a child without limits; 💜there is another side to it, but there is still an invisible line to navigate between the two.
✅If we can teach our kids about emotions when they are young - what emotions mean, how they make us feel in our body, and how to let them out - then our teenagers will be able to understand their feelings and seek support from their parents. 🤗 By showing them early on that we acknowledge and support their emotions, they will see us as a safe place where they can share what they're going through.
🧠Scientific evidence, research, and people's experiences all indicate that learning about emotional intelligence from a young age can make a huge difference in reducing the number of teenagers and adults diagnosed with anxiety or depression, as well as decreasing the number of suicides.
→So, how do we teach kids about emotional intelligence using the space of emotions (Check this link to find more)?
👉When you and your kid(s) are calm, explain to them how emotions feel in the body and give them names. For example, you could say, "Sadness feels like an empty tummy or coldness... Do you remember when you lost your teddy? You were crying, feeling empty, so that's how you feel sadness."
⭐️Remember that each person feels emotions in a different way! Did you realize that when you are teaching your kids about it, voila! You are learning as well!
💥Yes, Mom, no one taught us that before.💥 Our previous generations did not have as many tools as we have now - didactic and easy to use (follow this link to check it out). Generations ago, the term "emotional intelligence" was not as popular as it is today. It's not about finding someone to blame for the adult you have become; it's about healing and changing the path! Your parents did the best with what they had, regardless of whether they did well or not. Just look at how their parents treated them; it's a chain where all gave and still give the best of themselves with love.
🌠Trying something new is not always comfortable, but with love, repetition, and empathy for ourselves and those around us, we can do it. Parenting is a journey where a child inside an adult body is teaching and guiding another child. We are always on time to heal our childhood, as we will always have our inner child with us.
With love.
Sabina Gonzalez