Have you seen the new Disney Pixar movie, Inside Out? This imaginative, animated film is all about emotions, but begs the question: Do we control our emotions or do they control us? Parent and emotion expert, Teal Swan, talks in her recent blog about how parents can use teachable moments in the , to help their kids learn about emotions. Herself a mother of a six-year-old son, Teal knows well how emotions shape us.
“The overall message of the film was to embrace emotion, even the ones that don’t feel positive,” Teal says.
Teal shares a point that has not been widely discussed in all the praise directed toward the movie: Inside Out “clearly conveys the idea that emotions control you,” she says. Parents can explain to their kids that they can control their emotions, but younger children may still come away with the impression their emotions totally control them.
Many parents make three crucial mistakes when it comes to emotions, Teal says:
- They disapprove of their children’s emotions
- They dismiss their children’s emotions
- They offer no guidance to a child with regards to their emotions.
Inside Out teaches that parents can form deeper connections with their kids by recognizing, respecting and acknowledging all their emotions, rather than telling kids they should feel a certain way, Teal says.
“Good parenting involves emotion. Good relationships involve emotion,” she says. “The bottom line is, emotions matter.”
Learn more about Teal Swan.