Page 24 - North State Parent June 2020

Why Our Children Need to Feel Sadness to Experience Joy
This means that it is okay for our kids to be upset sometimes because they did not receive a perfect grade. If they always received As, then what would motivate them? It is healthy for them to be sad when they do not perform perfectly, and it is necessary for them to experience those emo- tions to motivate them to try harder next time.
Ways to Help Our Kids Express Sadness in a Healthy Way
For thousands of years, people have found that the best way to deal with sadness is to express it. When our children feel sad, our job is not necessarily to fix it and make it all better. We should first take a step back to allow our kids to express what is bothering them and give voice to what caused those feelings. When people are sad, they really just want to be heard and under- stood. Besides talking through their emotions, we can help our children to express their sadness in the following creative ways:
• Read some examples of poetry and then ask them to write a poem about how they are feeling.
• Givethemajournalordiaryandencouragethemtojotdowntheirconcerns.
• Play some sad songs, which can ironically provide some comfort. May-
be they want to write their own song, too.
• Provide art supplies and encourage them to create and show how they
feel. It would be neat to compare their art on days when they feel dif-
ferent emotions. Use colors to help them express their mood.
• Put on a puppet show to role-play how they are feeling. Ó
Sandi Schwartz is a mother of two, writer and blogger. She has written extensively about parenting, wellness and environmental issues.
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24 North State Parent •
Serving Upper California Since 1993