Life’s too short to sweat the small stuff isn’t it? It’s what adults often say to each other. But a child’s attitude to the ‘small stuff’ is often a different matter. This is an observation that a dad made: Children do ‘sweat the small stuff.’

There’s no doubt, children can get very emotional very quickly about seemingly unimportant things. It might not seem like a good idea to pander to this, and to bend over backwards to make everything right for them all the time, but it is important to listen. Patience and empathy on your part will help your child to feel that their emotions are valid, which they are, they really do feel upset/disappointed or whatever it is.

Most parents are not surprised when their two-year-old gets upset about small things, it is accepted that this behaviour is not at all unusual for a child of this age. But it is not uncommon for older children to get very emotional when something is not right. Being able to regulate our emotions, delay gratification, and respond appropriately to life’s ups and downs, are skills that take time to develop, and some children will need more support than others. But there is plenty you can do to encourage these skills in your child.

Teaching Kids How to Deal With Disappointment.

Here are a couple of simple, easy to remember ideas.

  1. Acknowledge emotions: Validating your child’s feelings will help your child to feel that you really care and understand what they are going through, and can help to prevent the emotional behaviour from escalating.
  2. Encourage problem-solving: Encouraging your child to come up with their own solution to a problem (with your support) is a more useful approach than just fixing the problem for them.
  3. Be a Role Model: Children learn a lot by watching others and it is a good idea to let them see you solving problems.

– Jane Rogers

Read more: When They Sweat The ‘Small’ Stuff – Teaching Kids How To Deal With Disappointment

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