The most important need of a child is the need of independence. This holds good for his/her emotions as well. most often parents / adults try to suppress the child's emotions instead of understanding them. in many occasions we tend to provide solutions to by-pass their feelings rather than drive towards solving their problems.
When a child says he/she is scared of something or couldn't do a task, we see this as a very small issue and can handle just like that. But it is a big deal for the kid. I have seen many parents who think they follow gentle parenting, say to the kid, "You are a brave kid and so you should not cry / get scared". This is a wrong guidance which would lead to suppression of emotions. This is nothing but emotional force towards the child. Though the adult here do not literally shout at the child, he/she forces the child to hide the natural emotion. If a child hides the natural flow of emotions, it may come out as a faulty / negative behavior like violence, guilt, anger or restlessness which directly affects the child's development.
As parents or as a responsible adults, one should first learn to listen to what a child says or expresses. The child should get the confidence that his/her feelings when expressed, will be taken care by the parents. Else, the child may not be able to learn how to handle, regulate and use his feelings in a right way. This situation affects him throughout his life.
Parents have the greatest responsibility of aiding a child through the course of his development and help the child to help himself. Let the child bring out his/her natural emotions. Listen to the child. Understand his/her difficulties or fear or any other negative emotions. Simplify the difficulty. Suggest ways to get to the solution. Help the child to route his negative emotions gradually towards positive emotions. This way parents can make the child naturally satisfied and most importantly win the child's faith.
For example, if a child is unable write as expected by the teacher, he/she may not tell you/ the parent directly. Instead he/she might show aversion towards the very thought of it. Crying, anger, silence, unwillingness to go to school and a lot of other expressions might happen in the child. Have patience to bring out the actual feeling from the child. Listen to her/him and understand that this is a real big deal for the kid. Try to simplify. Offer more play time with motor activities, more breaks (no bribes for sure), more stories (no morals at the end of the story please). Let the child take her own time. And it works,
For any emotion from a child, the parents' first responsibility is not to suppress the child's feeling. Instead the parents/adults should understand as well as help the child to understand his emotions and handle in a right way.
