Feelings and emotions are two words which are used as a substitute of each other. They are like the two sides of the same coin and interrelated but still different.
I have discussed the difference between kid’s feeling and emotions in my previous blog about Teaching Feelings to your kids. Well ...
Here is how they are different.
Feelings
Emotions
Emotions are event-driven, while feelings are reactions to an emotion that are acquired through experiences.
A child is considered to be “emotional competence” if he understands and can deal with his emotions. Feelings are in important part of our day-to-day life. If your child knows the vocabulary of feelings then he can react better to different situations. There are various ways your kid’s expresses his/her emotions.
“If your child smiles when he is happy, it means he is emotionally competent and have a good knowledge of feelings and emotions.”
Feelings and emotions are a huge part of all of us. Your child also experiences a wide range of feelings and emotions throughout the day. If your child is able to correctly recognize his/her emotions and the cause behind them, it will be easier for him to manage difficult situations.
As explained above feelings are long-lasting responses and they are associated to an emotion.
For example, if a child can feel happy after getting her favorite doll house.
Emotions on the other hand, are responses to outside stimuli, like that rushed sensation when being surprised by family members on your birthday.
Happiness is a sense of well-being, enjoyment, or satisfaction. When kids are successful and feel safe, or lucky, they feel happy.
If you appreciate and give reward to your kid when he performs well- He feels Happy.
The happiness will encourage doing more of it.
Sadness is experienced when your child is not in a state of well-being and feels blue. When your kid is sad, he seems to be dull and lacks cheerfulness.
Your tiny tot feels sad and upset if his/her best friend has moved away.
Anger is experienced by your kids when someone or something frustrates or annoys them.
It is the sudden the arousal of strong emotions and emotional behaviour.
My 5 year old child displayed significant anger by ignoring his teachers and kicking at furniture, walls, throwing of the toys and running away when I refused him to take his favourite toy car to his school.
- from a Case study of my client
It is a condition when your little one is frightened or alarmed. You must have noticed your kid refusing to go in the dark room alone or coming out from outside sweaty.
Yes.. He is scared- afraid!
When my niece was 2 1⁄2 years old, she got stuck in the elevator for 15 minutes with her parents. The elevator stopped because of power failure that day.
Today she is 5 but still scared of going in the elevator- Alone or with others.
It is a condition with a sudden feeling of wonder or amazement.
Child may be surprised to discover a new pet in the garden unexpectedly.
Emma was surprised to see all of her wish list near the Christmas tree as soon as she woke up in the morning.
- Mother of 3 year old Emma
It is a condition of steadiness of mind under stress. One who is calm and composed has the clarity of judgment and absence of strong feelings or excitement, especially in circumstances of danger or strain.
Confusion is an uncertainty about what is happening and the state of being unclear in one's mind about something.
It is a symptom when your child can’t think clearly and feel disoriented.
The feeling when your child feels uninterested in whatever he does is known as boredom. It’s the feeling when nothing catches his/her attention, that everything's boring and tiresome.
Boredom makes kids more interesting. When kids feel bored, they think of innovative play ideas and engage themselves in something new and interesting.
Trust is a positive emotion; a firm belief in the truth, or ability of someone or something. Teaching your kids about trust is very important to make them trust someone and builds a trusting relationship in future.
Trust vs. mistrust is the also the very first stage in Erikson's theory of psycho-social development which begins at birth. Infants learn to trust that their caregivers will meet their basic needs. If these needs are not consistently met, mistrust, suspicion, and anxiety may develop.
Anticipation is a state of looking forward positively to something which is going to happen.
Anticipation teaches patience-building, builds trust, develops a belief in something, and develops a positive feeling of hope.
Love is a strong emotion of attachment one feels for someone else. A child can show his love towards his family, pets, friends or fictional characters.
Courage in a child means acting when others are afraid of the danger, or simply acting without fear of failure. Develop courage in your kid by letting him out from his comfort zone.
This way your child will likely to withstand negative peer pressure and it will develop his resilience, confidence and willpower.
Envy is a feeling of sadness or distress about other people’s belongings or success.
Envy is seen when a little one tries to take his friend’s toy. It can be can be triggered by different things among siblings, friends or classmates. It is actually a desire to acquire something that is not ours.
“When your kid is concerned about other people - He is Kind.”
Kind people mostly think about another person's feelings, their likes and their dislike; irrespective of something in return. It is important to help children learn kindness that will help them become well-rounded adults. Small gestures of help to new neighbors, helping hand of your parents, helping old person to cross the road are few examples of teaching kindness to your kids.
In order to make your child mentally and emotionally strong, teach him/her the knowledge of emotions and feelings emotional development affects every aspect of a child's life. Healthy emotional growth is just as important as cognitive or academic growth for the growing kid.
-Shefali Singh