Helping Little Ones Express Big Emotions

I used to be one of those moms. I used to think I knew why kids did what they did. Especially preschool-aged children who have a fit.

But now I know better. Kids are people too. They feel. They are acting up because they still need to learn how to control the immense emotions that they feel. Most of the time, children are not acting up to get attention.

When my child screamed, when my child cried, when my child refused to do something I’m begging her to do, there was a reason. Just like an adult has his or her own preferences, my preschooler too knew what she wanted. The difference is that my preschool did not know how to control the intense emotions that came over her. She needed our nurturing love and help, not our judgement.

Helping little ones express big emotions is not easy, but helping them now helps them avoid a lot of frustration later in life. As I mentioned in my post the other day about emotional intelligence, expressing big emotions is a skill to be learned.


Our Need to Assign Meaning

As adults, we try to figure out what’s going on with little ones. We assign meaning to their outbursts.

She’s just looking for attention.

She’s spoiled.

She’s got a “redhead’s temper.”

I’ve heard all of these. On one particular day when my preschooler was being a bit mean, one mom even explained that she does not have that problem with her little one because she is always firm with her. Her daughter knows she cannot act out because Mom trained her young.

I will say that my first born was a child like that. Most children can't not act that way, no matter the upbringing. They still need to learn through the preschool years and beyond.

I also feel I must admit that I felt embarrassed by my second child’s behavior sometimes. I know she’s full of spunk, sometimes positive and sometimes mean and negative. But I also know that spunk is a good thing when one learns to control it. I honestly feel badly that I feel embarrassed. As the rest of this post shows, I believe helping little ones learn to control their big emotions is an essential and completely normal part of growing up.

Also, a disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional. All opinions are my own from years of parenting. Here are some books I’ve also loved (links to my book reviews on my blog) that have influenced my views as I have navigated parenting.

Please note that I am an Amazon Affiliate and will receive a small compensation if you purchase via this site. Click the images to be taken to an Amazon shopping page to purchase each book. 

Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn. Read the review at Rebecca Reads. Get the book at Amazon.

Read the reviews of Awakening Children’s Minds by Laura Berk at Rebecca Reads: read 1read 2. Get the book at Amazon.

How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlich. Read the review at Rebecca Reads. Get the book at Amazon.

It’s Okay Not to Share by Heather Schumacher. Read the review at Rebecca Reads. Get the book at Amazon.

Teaching Kids to Think by Darlene Sweetland and Ron Stolberg. Read the review on Rebecca Reads. Get the book at Amazon.

Mindful Discipline by Shauna Shapiro and Chris White. Read the review at Rebecca Reads. Get the book at Amazon.

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman. Read the review at Rebecca Reads. Get the book at Amazon.

NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. Get the book at Amazon.


Learning to Communicate Big Emotions

Babies can only cry and scream. They are still looking for the words that will help them express themselves. We don’t look at a sad, crying baby and say “oh, she’s just crying for attention.” The sad baby does not care about the attention she is attracting (although she’ll quickly learn that this is a way to communicate). Rather, she is crying because she does not know how else to express the deep sadness or pain she feels. Maybe she is sad because she has a sore bum. Maybe her tummy is empty. Maybe she is sad and disappointed that Mommy did not pick her up and Aunt Claire did. The end result is, yes, attention. But she does not cry for that reason. Something else is probably going on.

When a preschooler bursts into tears, often she too is doing so because she doesn't know how else to express the deep sadness that is overwhelming her. Maybe she is sad because I gave her the green cup instead of the red cup. Maybe she is sad because her body aches with exhaustion and she really wants to do play. Maybe she is sad because she knows the dimming light outside means bedtime is coming soon. Maybe she cries because she thought of a story she read last week. Maybe she is sad because she imagined walking down the stairs instead of going down the elevator. (And I just pulled her onto the elevator.)

It’s true, a preschooler has words that she could use instead of crying. She could say, “Could I please have the red cup? I love it so much more than the green cup!” She could say, “I feel sad now because I see the sun going down and I know that means I’ll have to go to sleep soon.” But preschool children are still learning language. Many of the explanations require figuring out cause and effect. I feel sad because…

It’s not so easy to communicate when intense emotion overwhelms. Little children are still figuring out how to communicate. Emotions make it that much harder.

It’s true that sometimes kids can learn that yelling and screaming and attracting attention is a way to get what they want. They are trained to act up for attention. For preschoolers, however, I believe that more often than not, the child is expressing overwhelming feelings and they need our help. We shouldn’t belittle them or their emotions. They are very real, even if to us, it seems like not a big deal.

As parents, we can help by putting words to their outbursts. Sometimes the learning must wait until the intense emotions are less (you cannot reason with an upset child in any way!). When the outburst is happening, though, we acknowledge their feelings and give them love. I share some more ideas below.


Accepting Our Children's Feelings and Frustration

Intensity is something I dealt with on a daily basis with my dear preschooler.  She hasn't changed. She's twelve now, and the feelings still are real. When she feels something, she feels it to the extreme. And she is always feeling something. She is excited and happy to the extreme. She is also sad to the extreme.

Here are some examples from when she was younger and I had to learn to accept as real feelings and not acting out or seeking attention.

The Story of Waiting for a Table

When we were waiting for a table at a restaurant, my preschooler was so excited that her impatience overflowed.

“When is it our turn? I’m bored! I can’t wait any longer!” 

I overheard someone (from my extended family) say that she was acting spoiled. Needless to say, I was pretty upset to hear that.

Her words were whining. But she was trying so hard to keep herself in check. I know how excited she was to be there. She wasn't running around the restaurant with her excitement bubbling over. I could see her restraint as she stood in the restaurant foyer, waiting.  

No, she’s not spoiled. Her feelings are intense.

What does this teach us? Well, first, don't judge children you don't know. You don't know what restraint they already are showing. But also, as the parent, accept the intensity as earnest. Praise the restraint, and love them all the same regardless of the behavior.

The Story of the Shopping Cart

I remember one day when I finally let go of my “expectations” and I saw my daughter as she is. I finally changed my paradigm from the “She’s doing it for attention” to the “she’s overwhelmed” model in my mind.

We were at the grocery store with a full basket of already-purchased groceries, waiting for a prescription to be filled. My daughter was at least 2, maybe recently turned 3. She was crying and screaming. I could not understand her few words but I realized that my dear girl was exhausted from being good. She wanted to go home. She could not keep it in any more.

I cannot remember if she was begging for some trinket or if she was simply sad. Her screams were piercing. They echoed through the entire store. Other store patrons turned and stared. Some gave me looks.

I did not care. She was overwhelmed. I wrapped her in my arms and held her close. Suddenly I knew that no matter what anyone else thought about my tantruming child, I knew. She was not seeking attention or trying to be naughty or bad. She was simply overwhelmed. She could not stop, and she needed love, not scolding.

Sometimes when my kids are overwhelmed by life now as pre-teens and teens, I try to treat their outbursts in a similar way. My child is overwhelmed. I know. They aren't trying to be naughty or bad. There is nothing I can do, and they cannot stop the emotions. I need to be there to give love, not scolding. And the very real feelings for a teenager may stem from something that seems as silly as the red cup versus the blue cup. But they are valid.


Spoiling a Child … with Love

So, in answer to the well-meaning question, No, my preschool-aged daughter did not act up to get attention. If she was acting contrary to societal accepted norms, it’s because she had reached a limit in some way. Her happiness, sadness, frustration, or disappointment has reached a level that at that moment she could not control it.

I am told that, as a child, I had frequent tantrums. Actually, I remember being told that, being a redhead, I had a “redhead’s temper.” It took far too long for me to come to understand that my temper is no different than anyone else’s temper. I simply did not learn, at a young age, to control the intensity of emotions.

The good news is we can always learn to improve ourselves. I am so grateful that with my fireball of energy, I can be the one that is there for her as I help her learn and give her the words to communicate. She did not act out for attention. She was simply a preschooler learning how to live. Now that she's older, her feelings are different. But they are no less real, and that's what I need to remember as I help give her words to communicate these new feelings.

Here are some things I've learned through the years when helping my kids express their emotions.

  • Wait. When emotions are strong, the child probably does not want to logically think through solutions. don't try to give answers if there are no answers. 
  • Be there or get out of the way. Be there for your child if they need a loving arm to comfort them. But, if you are clearly not able to do anything, get out of their way until you can help them. Give them space in order for the strong emotion to subside.
  • Name the emotions. If appropriate, name the emotion your child might be feeling. Ask if it sounds like how they feel at that moment.
  • Revisit emotions later. Wait until a child is ready to discuss before you try to be rational in anyway. In the midst of the emotions, rationality is gone. After the intensity is passed, brainstorm together what caused the issue in the first place.
  • Love, love love. How would you want to be treated by your best and most important friend if you were feeling an intense emotion? Treat your child as if they were a grown-up having a very hard or frustrating day. How would you act differently if they were a grown-up?

I cannot speak for every parent, because our kids are all different, and I cannot speak for all preschoolers, as I am no longer a preschooler myself. But I know that preschoolers are people too, of course. If we acknowledge their intense feelings and help them find better ways to express those feelings, they will be wrapped in love through their childhood days as they improve themselves. Isn’t that what we all want?

No, her crying was not for attention. It’s because she is a person feeling something real.

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