Managing Kids Emotions
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[00:00:00] Your child is melting down again. Maybe they're crying over something small, throwing a tantrum. Maybe they're shutting down completely. But as a parent, it's frustrating because you know, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but kids don't automatically know how to handle emotions.
Emotional regulation is a. Skill that has to be taught, it has to be modeled, and it has to be reinforced over time. And if we don't teach them, they'll default to what they see in the world suppressing, lashing out, or looking for validation in all the wrong places. So in today's episode, we're breaking down.
The difference between suppressing emotions versus managing them. Biblically practical examples of how to help your kids name and express and process their feelings and some Bible verses to use when you're teaching emotional regulation. And if you're struggling with staying calm when your child is emotional, I wanna invite you to my free five day [00:01:00] challenge to stop yelling at your kids.
In just five days, I'll walk you through understanding your own emotional reactions and practical strategies to help your kids without losing your cool. All. Within biblical encouragement to shift from reacting to responding, there will be a link in the description that you can use to sign up. So let's get started.
Today we're talking about one of the most important skills that we can teach our kids how to handle their emotions in a biblical and healthy way. Because kids don't come pre-programmed with emotional intelligence. Many adults don't have emotional intelligence. Our kids don't automatically know how to manage big feelings in healthy ways.
They need us to equip them with the tools to process emotions with wisdom and faith. And that starts with understanding what emotions are, what they're not, and how to help our kids navigate them biblically. So let's get into it. [00:02:00] Many of us grew up hearing things like, stop crying. You're fine. Calm down.
It's not even a big deal. Go to your room and stay there until you can act right. Or worse, the age old stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about. And unfortunately, these comments just teach kids to suppress emotions instead of process them. Those feelings don't go away when you shut them down.
They just simply sit. They either fester or they get suppressed. Whatever it is that your child does to cope with it, they're not processing it. So the difference is suppressing emotions is where we push feelings down. We ignore them, we pretend they don't exist. Managing emotions is when we recognize them, we understand them, and we respond in a way that honors God and honors ourselves to be honest.
Emotions themselves. They're not bad. We see many deep emotions in scripture like anger, grief, [00:03:00] frustration, but how we handle them matters. Ecclesiastes three verse four says, there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Emotions have a place in our lives, but we must teach our kids how to process them in a way that reflects self-control and faith.
So how do we do this? How do we teach our kids to manage emotions instead of stepping them down or letting them explode? Here are three key steps to helping your kids recognize, express, and handle their emotions in a biblical way. Number one, teach them to name their feelings. This seems so simple, but before kids can manage their emotions, they have to identify them.
So try using emotion words. Often you can say you look frustrated, is something bothering you? You can show them a feelings chart. You can watch the Inside Out movie. Just learn how to [00:04:00] visually identify what they're experiencing and remind them that all emotions are okay, but not all reactions are.
Proverbs four, verse seven says, the beginning of wisdom is this. Get wisdom though. It costs all you have. Get understanding. Understanding emotions is a big part of wisdom and you can guide your kids through that process. Number two is to help them express their feelings in a healthy way. Once kids know what they're feeling, they need healthy ways to release it.
So encourage talking it out instead of bottling it up. Give physical outlets for frustration, deep breaths, movement, squeezing a stress ball, do 20 jumping jacks. Give them a cool down space, not a punishment, like a place to reset. Ephesians four, verse 26 says, in your anger, do not sin. We can teach our kids that having emotions isn't [00:05:00] wrong, but how they handle them matters.
And number three, model and reinforce self-control because kids learn more from watching us than they'll ever learn from what we say. So narrate your own feelings. I'm feeling overwhelmed, so I'm gonna take a deep breath before I respond. Acknowledge their emotions without dismissing them. I see that you're upset.
It's okay to feel sad. Praise, self-control. When you see it, say something like, you took a deep breath before responding, and I love how you're handling your emotions. Good job. Galatians five, verse 22 through 23 says, the fruit of the spirit includes self-control. We can't expect self-control from our kids if we aren't modeling it ourselves.
So here's a few powerful Bible verses along with the ones that we've already gone through to help your kids navigate their emotions with faith. Psalm 56, verse [00:06:00] three. When I am afraid I put my trust in you. Proverbs 29 11. Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. Colossians three verse 12.
Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You can try memorizing these verses together, or just using them, bringing them out, praying over them. When you face tough emotional moments when you need some support. And if you struggle with staying calm while your child is emotional, I want to take this time again to invite you to my free five day challenge to stop yelling at your kids.
This is gonna be so impactful and so simple. It won't take up too much of your time. There's one email each day of the five days, and there's a five minute video to accompany that with a quick lesson with a huge impact. You can join that challenge@covenantcollections.com slash. [00:07:00] Five day, and that's the number five.
Or you can just get the link out of the description if you've ever felt lost on how to help your child process their emotions. This is a reminder that you're not alone, and I want you to remember your child is. Still learning. You are still learning. And with patience, grace, and God's wisdom, you can teach your kids to handle emotions and process them in a way that honors them, in a way that sets them up for success in their future as well.
Thank you for joining me today on Raising Faithful Families. If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe. Please leave a review and share it with a friend who needs this message as well. Until next time, take care and God bless.
