Heart4kidsadvocacyforum's Blog

As our children grow and develop, more and more of what they feel and deal with in, terms of their emotions and feelings, surface to the forefront. Initially, as infants of course, they are non-verbal, so they have to find other ways to express what they are feeling and experiencing.  As parents we begin to recognize their communication clues and expressions, so that we get better at responding to their needs.  Of course, the task can be both frustrating and at times we can feel helpless.  It takes a lot of love, patience, and fortitude, to be a parent of an infant.  We worry about not being proficient and appropriately responsive to their needs.  The truth is that all parents have these feelings at all stages of their child’s development.  Are we good enough? Are we responsive enough?  Are we meeting their needs?  Do we understand them?  Are we accessible and approachable so that our children feel confident and secure in their relationship with us?  Do we really listen to them?  Are we communicating in a way that there is mutual respect and love in what we say and do with each other?  So many questions run through our minds as parents.  I can’t even begin to know what children are thinking about us as parents.

We have to be guides in supporting and nurturing our children in identifying, feeling comfortable with, and to find healthy ways to process their emotions and feelings.  Even when children evolve in their ability to be verbally expressive about what erupts within them, it is not enough to let things go without talking about the “what”, and “why” they are feeling and experiencing.  We have as parents a responsibility to mentor and guide them in learning how to process their emotions and feelings.  We have to explore ways to do this that feel uniquely and organically appropriate for them.   Now two children are going to be able to process their emotions the same way.  It takes a parent being observant and creative in figuring out what makes your child “tick”. Parents must know that there are so many resources available to them if they too need support.

Remember- what might seem to be a small thing to us, can be gigantic to a child.  If we guide them to acquiring the necessary skills, they need to live a happy, healthy, and productive life, we have done our job as parents.