How can I show my child what healthy emotional expression looks like?
Parenting Perspective
The most effective teaching method is modelling. Allow your child to observe you expressing emotions in healthy ways by saying things like, I need a moment to breathe because I am feeling frustrated right now. Speak in plain terms and in a relaxed manner. Describe your personal coping mechanisms, such as journalling, pausing, or constructing a Dua. Do not hide any emotions; instead, show them that it is acceptable to feel angry or sad and demonstrate how to react in a healthy way. Children pick up emotional control by demonstration rather than instruction.
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Spiritual Insight
The holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ expressed a full range of emotions; joy, sorrow, anger, and love, always with dignity. It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 1303, that he cried at the death of his son Ibrahim. When Abdur Rahman bin Auf expressed surprise, the Prophet ﷺ replied:
“O Ibn Auf, this is mercy. “
Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Shuraa (42), Verse 37:
“And those people that avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they become angry, they are readily forgiving. “
Emotional expression that is healthy is mercy in action, not repression.
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