Parents Hack 12 - Thoughts and Feelings
Understanding thoughts and feelings, and managing difficult emotions
What Your Child is Learning
Difficult thoughts and feelings are part of being human. The aim isn't to get rid of them, but to learn how to handle them without letting them take over. In Hack 12, your child is developing emotional intelligence: noticing and accurately identifying their thoughts and feelings, putting them into words, and learning to accept them rather than fight them. They're also discovering how to make space for unhelpful thoughts without giving them too much attention, and how facing difficult feelings rather than constantly avoiding them can gradually make them easier to handle.
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Try This At Home
When your child says, “I feel awful,” don't immediately ask why. First help them become more specific: “What kind of awful - worried, disappointed, embarrassed, angry, lonely, frustrated?” Then reflect it back: “Okay. So you're feeling disappointed.” Accurately naming an emotion can make something vague and overwhelming feel more understandable and manageable.
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