Parenting Tips To Develop Emotional Intelligence In Children

Emotional intelligence is "a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and other's emotions, to discriminate among them and to use the information to guide one's thinking and actions (Mayer and Salovery 1993)." 


Effective parent not focus only on intellectual development of child but they emphasize on emotional development too. If we want to develop in our child - 'ability to control impulses, delay gratification, self motivation, read other people's social cues and cope with life's ups and downs' then we have to be aware of what they are feeling and then empathize, soothe and guide them. 


Home is the first school for child and child's behavior is mirror image of  their parent's behavior. Child will handle his own feelings and emotions the way their parents do.........   when parents bring out the best in themselves the child will consciously and unconsciously imbibe their qualities. By including these easy steps in our parenting we can bring up a emotionally intelligent child:

1. Identify your own feelings as well as feelings of others and respect everyone's feelings.
2. Be responsive parent, by providing warm and supportive family relationship.
3. Be a good role model. respond to anger, frustration, joy, in emotionally intelligent way.
4. Make child aware of feelings and thoughts associated with your actions like why you are giving your old sweater to your maid, why you are helping your neighbor etc.
5. Be there for your children.
6. Be non judgmental.
7. Say no to your child so that they learn to handle disappointment.
8. Instead of cheering your child when he is upset be there to listen and understand and tell them their feelings are being acknowledged.
9. Train your child to be responsible and confident.
10. Involve your child in household duties at an early age.
11. Instead of overreacting be a part of your child's problems.
12. Limit his T.V. watching time as it teaches children consumerism, sarcasm and violence.
13. Talk about feelings in family time(one hour of family time per day is must).
14. Be a great listener.

Most important of all is that you have to be patient and make the child feel accepted and loved in every situation.always remember: "You may be one person to the world, but for your child, you are the world."




Shweta Tilak
Psychologist
Asha USA Mini Medicine City