Trust Enough to Cry

How much trust does it take for us to share our raw emotions? Will you cry and bare your soul to just anyone? When our babies and toddlers are crying and screaming, they are not being bad or manipulative. They are trusting us with their raw emotions. They are saying to us, "I have these big feelings and I don't know how to handle them." They are trusting us to guide them and teach them how to wor...k through those big feelings and frustrations. We must not betray this trust. We must not insinuate their feelings are wrong. That would teach them only to suppress their emotions and bottle them up, which (I hope) we all know is unhealthy. We must acknowledge their emotions. We must teach them the words for what they are feeling. We must let them know their emotions are valid and important. We must teach them ways to work through their feelings and communicate effectively. Above all, we must always be a safe place for them to feel they can be themselves.See More