Emotions are what make us human. According to science, there are 27 different types of emotion that we experience. These are then sorted into 8 primary emotions - anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, anticipation, trust and joy. All our emotions are made up of a mixture of these 8, eg, love is made up of joy and trust, excitement is made up of surprise and anticipation. With all these emotions out there, how confusing is it for our children? If you ask your child to name as many emotions as they can, they will come up with a limited list but mainly include happy, sad, angry and scared. It is so important as parents and carers that we help our children to understand their feelings. Try naming them and letting your child know that it is okay to feel like that. All emotions are okay, it is sometimes what we do with them that is not okay. It is okay to be angry but it is not okay to hurt others. It is okay to be jealous but it is not ok to pinch your baby brother or sister. As parents, we all want our children to be happy, confident, friendly, loving, grateful etc., but in the real world that's easier said than done. Helping your children to understand their emotions and to become emotionally literate is a great asset. 

Always remember that as parents, you don't have to be happy all of the time, it can be so confusing for a child if they can actually see that you are sad and you are saying "no, I'm fine." What is that saying to your children other than cover up and don't show your emotions.

Emotions are there for a reason, to help us express what we are feeling, to keep us safe and to help us communicate with others without the use of words.

There is no such thing as a bad emotion!

If you have a parenting concern, you can contact Mrs Easty via the school office - admin@burlingtoni.org.uk