Most parents know the frustration of dealing with a child’s unexpected public tantrum.
But parents are often too quick to call out their child’s negative behavior — chastising them for that unnecessary meltdown or even telling them to “cheer up” when they seem sad — while ignoring the underlying emotions behind those actions, according to parenting expert Reem Raouda.
Focusing solely on children’s behaviors, particularly bad behavior, rather than investigating and validating their emotions is a common parenting mistake that hinders your child’s ability to develop emotional intelligence, says Raouda, an author and certified conscious parenting coach.
“Stop focusing on their behavior and start focusing on their [well-being],” she says. “Children are not robots, and their emotions are being completely ignored, dismissed [or even] punished.”
Experts often link emotional intelligence to success, because it helps people manage the kinds of negative emotions that could otherwise lead to burnout, anxiety or depression, research shows.
