Mothers Emotional Awareness Has A Positive Effect On Children
Emotional awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ) are two sides of the same coin. It is an attribute that is rooted in our ability to be aware of both our own and other people’s emotions, and the impact they have upon our thoughts, decision making, behaviours and ways of relating to ourselves and others.
When we learn how to listen to, understand and express negative emotions in more adaptive ways without getting stuck in them or taking them out on others, we reach more emotional maturity. Healthy emotional expression in opposition to emotional suppression is closely linked with our experience of health and wellbeing.
More emotional awareness in mothers allows for a deeper connection with their children and their needs. If you are a mother and want to learn how to become more emotionally aware, begin with observing your own emotions without resisting, judging or trying to change them. Observe how they flow and change throughout the day based on your current focus or surroundings.
How do your thoughts and behaviours change depending on how you feel in the current moment? What are your emotions communicating to you in different situations? Also practice to not get stuck in your emotions, by expressing them in an adaptive way - instead of judging yourself for feeling a certain way, resisting or clinging to a particular emotion or mistaking your emotions for being who you are. They are just an experience or energy that flows through you, to direct and redirect you in your life and to connect you to those around you. When we learn to observe and feel all our feelings and let them flow and pass, we will more easily rebalance, instead of getting stuck in feelings of anger, irritation, resentment, sadness and so on. The latter will create negative distorted filters that we begin to see the world through, which can be difficult for us to uncover.
People who are emotionally aware, are good at ‘feeling’ or tuning into other people’s emotions and other people’s needs. They are also good at sensing the emotional effect of what they say or do will be upon others. When this attribute is promoted in families and in society, people (including strangers) will become more empathic towards one another, which will help reduce many issues related to judgment, comparison and inequality in schools, workplaces and overall society.
Mothers who are more conscious, emotionally aware and self-confident about the way they parent, are more prone to be sensitive towards their children’s expressions and needs. They are also more prone to teach their children that it’s okay to express their feelings, and at the same time not over-identify with or get stuck in them.
They are also more likely to teach children healthy ways to express their feelings, to apologise if they hurt anyone and to express needs of support when necessary. This will help children be more authentic and feeling accepted for who they are – including the emotions they feel, which will help boost self-confidence and feelings of self-worth.
When emotional awareness is promoted in children; they will also be able to emphasize more with their peers and understand their peers’ feelings and needs better. Children who are more in touch with their inner experiences and aware of adaptive ways to express their feelings are also less afraid to reach out and provide support to someone else who is expressing their emotions.
More emotionally aware mothers will also be more able to see and understand deeper sides of their children’s experiences and expressions and also take in, learn and grow from these in their own life journey.
More emotionally aware children will grow up to become more emotionally aware adults. This helps create a future generation who is more emotionally aware, more in tune with the flowing nature of their experiences, and who sees the value of acknowledging, supporting and collaborating with others.
It is of course not only mothers’ (or fathers’) responsibility to promote emotional awareness in their children. Society and schools should also take more responsibility of promoting emotional awareness, equality, healthy self-expression, creativity and feelings of self-worth in children. Such focuses and efforts can help prevent and reduce mental health issues in children and youth in future generations.
Emotional awareness and EQ can be strengthened like a muscle when practised, and it is something that will be looked for and valued more and more within organizations and in society as humanity evolves – in addition to IQ and academic skills alone.
In these regards, emotional intelligence is an important key to navigate all areas of life, and thus more emotional aware mothers have the power to give their children this key from an early age.
