“Don’t be sad.”

“You shouldn’t feel scared.”

“Stop being angry.”

“You don’t need to get your feelings hurt over it.”

“You should be so thankful.”

It’s not uncommon to hear parents addressing their children with comments or corrections involving how a child should or should not feel. This is especially true with emotions many deem “negative” such as hurt, fear, anger, and sadness. Though these admonishments may be well-intentioned, I believe they miss the mark on what human beings are supposed to do. We are, by our very nature, highly emotional beings capable of experiencing a broad range of sentiments. If children are consistently taught to ignore or squelch “bad” emotions, they will likely be unprepared for life. A healthier, more holistic approach is to empower our children emotionally by teaching them to experience and express a wide range of emotions, and help them learn to regulate their emotions when necessary.

Emotional empowerment has five primary stages. Parents can practice each of these stages with their child no matter the child’s age. These are fundamental skills that everyone needs. Developing the ability to identify, express, and regulate emotions is a life-long process, one in which there is always room for growth and improvement. As such, parents can serve as models for their own children as every member of the family seeks to grow and mature.

"I’m supposed to teach?"

"Take care of my kids? Clean the house?"

"Can we leave?"

"Do we have enough food?"

"They keep arguing!"

"I leave everyday because it’s better for our family: 2 to 3 weeks together at least?"

"But we had plans!"

"My family isn’t all together, do they come home?"

"Do they come over?"

"It can’t be that big a deal could it? Is it?"

Fear. Freak out. Preparedness. Problem solving. Financial stress.

We all handle unexpected circumstances and difficult moments in our own way.

We’ve heard it since we were kids and likely tell our own children the same: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Yet, in a cereal-dominated breakfast world, it is easy for our kids to fall into a rut of eating the same processed, nutrient depleted (non) foods for breakfast everyday before school. The convenience and popularity of those colorful boxes of cereal are hard to top, yet there is unseen cost to our kids’ bodies that may affect their capacity for focus and learning throughout the school day. Knowing why breakfast is, in fact, the most important meal of the day, and knowing what foods best fuel the body and mind will help us set up our kids for success at the onset of each day.