When it comes to parenting, no one is perfect, but arming children with Emotional Intelligence will serve them for years to come.
As published in Sylvania Life, April 2014
by Erin Wiley, Community Contributor
All parents want to be the best mom or dad they can be, and we all worry about whether or not we are doing everything we can to maximize the chance of our children growing up to be healthy, happy, and highly functional.
Truth is, of course, no one is a perfect parent. In fact, I tell my own patients to keep in mind that they definitely will “screw up” their kids in some way – just like our own parents did, and every generation before them.
But, in the spirit of being the-best-parent-we-can-be-depite-our-human-failings, I present to you my No. 1 suggestion to parents who want to improve their parenting ability.
Most professionals in the field of mental health recognize Emotional Intelligence, or “EI” as a trait that is just as important as, if not more important than, IQ. Emotional Intelligence is defined as “the ability to identify, assess and control one’s emotions, and to assess, and then respond to the emotions of others in a healthy way”
Helping your child identify and process their emotions is the first thing I teach to parents who come to therapy to improve their family’s home life. Recognizing and processing our feelings is the foundation of good mental health, which is the cornerstone to a child’s future happiness and success.