From the very first time children wrinkle their brows, smile
at a parent’s face, or test the limits of their lungs with
a hearty cry, it’s obvious that emotions are a main part
of being human. Feelings come naturally to all of us, and learning
to deal with them is one of life's most important lessons.
We spend a lot of time teaching our children simple things such
as tying their shoes, yet we often expect them to learn how to
handle complex feelings like anger, sadness and frustration
without much help. Research studies make it clear that children do better when
parents nurture, support and encourage their emotional development.
That’s the idea behind Emotion Coaching—a five-step approach
to parenting that can help forge stronger family bonds while preparing
children to cope with the powerful world of emotions they face everyday.
Research by Dr. John Gottman shows that children who can understand
and cope with emotions do better in school, form stronger relationships,
have fewer behavioral problems and generally lead happier, healthier
and less stressful lives. Gottman’s Emotion Coaching approach shows parents and
caregivers
the way.
Although parents were the focus of Dr. Gottman's research, this
information will be interesting to all who nurture and care for
children. Also, no parent or caregiver can be an Emotion Coach all
of the time. Dr. Gottman observed that even the most skilled
parents only use Emotion Coaching about half the time. There are
some situations when Emotion Coaching just isn't possible. And the
good news is even if you missed an opportunity to use Emotion Coaching,
it's not too late. Take a moment to talk with your child about
what happened and how you are both feeling.
For more information about how the research studies were done
click
here.
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