Five steps to effective parenting and building emotional intelligence.
1) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
Different feelings and emotions are perfectly fine, including the negative ones. There are various reasons behind our children’s behaviour, therefore, it is important that the emotions are acknowledged. We should be able to recognise and name the emotion e.g. “I know that you are feeling angry about…”
2) GIVE THEM A PLATFORM TO TALK.
Allow your child to speak to you about their frustrations or feelings without judgement. Also, if siblings are disagreeing or arguing about something, allow them to talk to each other and work things out. We as parents must know when to get involved.
3) TREAT EACH CHILD BASED ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS.
Every child is different and we should treat them accordingly. If we know one is more sensitive than the other, it is vital that we are not treating them the same way. It is also important that we are not comparing one to the other. Allow them to be their own person and encourage them to flourish.
4) COME OFF SCHEDULE/ DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
Sometimes, come off schedule! If we are used to doing something a particular way and used to the same routine, try something different! Create memories together, read together, find different ways of bonding.
5) MODEL BEING IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN EMOTIONS.
It is important that we articulate how we feel rather than always flying off the handle. Model a sense of control and express how to find solutions to our problems where necessary. Children often emulate what they see.
Nichola Williams
Parenting Educator/Family Advocate
Just wanna state that this is handy , Thanks for taking your time to write this. Barby Leif Antin