Emotions. They’re challenging. You know it’s not easy to control your feelings. Someone cuts you off while you’re driving to work, you honk, scream and lose your cool. And you’re an adult! Now imagine how difficult controlling those powerful emotions are for your child. Even though it’s not always easy to appropriately control and express feelings, your child can do it! Read on to find out what you need to know about teaching your child about emotions. Put Names to Feelings No one is born knowing the words “sad”, “angry”, “mad” or “happy”. These are words that we learn over time. The first step to controlling emotions is naming them. Strong feelings can quickly frustrate and confuse a child, especially when she doesn’t know what the emotion is. Add on that fact that she doesn’t have the right words to express what’s going on in her head, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Or at least, a recipe for a major tantrum. When you see your child grasping for words, give them to her. For example, your toddler is playing in the sandbox with a few other children. One of them grabs your tot’s shovel, sending her into tears.

Mother-Daughter Bonding On Holiday It’s time to get away with your little princess! Whether you’ve got a tiny tot or an eye-rolling teen, you can still totally bond with her on a parent-child holiday. How? Start by checking out these tips for keeping the connection going. Infants and Toddlers A simple snuggle, a cuddle or a quick hug. Oh, these are all easy ways to connect and bond with your baby or toddler. Younger children are ready to bond and will devote their time to mama with almost no argument. That is unless they’ve got their eyes on an awesomely interesting toy. Here’s the thing – when you’re on vacay with your kiddo, you won’t have all the time in the world to curl up and cuddle. So you’ll need to sneak it in or carve out some extra snuggle sessions. Instead of wheeling your little one around in her stroller, take her out and carry her. If she’s up and walking, hold her hand as the two of you walk around together. Preschoolers and Young Children Your preschool-aged, or slightly older, daughter is all energy all the time. She’s completely curious and she’s on the go, go, go. Now that she’s walking, talking and having her own thoughts (so many of her own thoughts), you can start asking her what she wants to do on your mother-daughter holiday.

You’re a totally proud parent. And why shouldn’t you be? Your child is entirely awesome, and she knows it. How does she know it? Well, probably because you indulge her every little whim and fancy. Okay, okay, it’s perfectly alright to indulge your child every once in a while. Maybe even more than that. But when it gets to the point that she’s acting more like a dictator than a daughter , you’ve got a problem. So how much indulgence should you provide? That’s not an easy question to answer. That said, read on for some tips on judging what’s too much and when to say no: Expecting More Than Just Enough How much do you expect of your child? You might think it’s more than it actually is. Indulgence doesn’t only equal giving too many material ‘things’. It’s also about giving too much of yourself. Obviously, you want to give yourself to your child. You’re a parent, that’s kind of in the job description. But there comes a point when you’re doing everything and expecting very little from your child. Chances are you’ve heard the term “helicopter mom.” Not only does she hover, but she does, and does, and does some more, for her child.

Your toddler is throwing yet another tantrum . Your preschooler is absolutely, positively refusing to pick up her toys. Or maybe your older child just stomped away and slammed the door when you asked her to do her homework. Now what? You could get all huffy and start screaming. But that won’t help anyone. What you need right now is to discipline your child, minus the parental anger part. Stop Feeling like a Failure Daycare called. Again. Your toddler bit yet another child. Hmm. It must be your fault. At least, that’s what you’re thinking. You’re embarrassed, outraged and are putting the blame entirely on yourself. Face it, you feel like a parenting failure. The important thing to keep in mind right now is – you are not failing at anything. Kids aren’t born knowing right from wrong. It’s the adult’s job to teach them that. But you can’t teach your child all of the in’s and out’s of appropriate and acceptable behavior on day one. It takes time. And that’s time you need to give to yourself. Take a Moment You told your 4-year-old to keep her grape juice in the kitchen. But she brought it into the living room anyway.

Social media is taking over. Ninety-two percent of teens go online daily, according to the Pew Research Center. Of these children, 71 percent use more than one social media site. If your child is one of the many who regularly uses social media, setting ground rules is an absolute must. What rules does your list need to include? Check out what guidelines can help your child to stay safe while online: Online Privacy Social media is all about sharing. That’s the nature of this beast. That said, oversharing can put your child at risk or make her an easy target for online predators. Social media privacy rules for children should include: Never give anyone you don’t know in real life your private information. This includes your last name, your school, your street address and your phone number. Don’t share your passwords with anyone – including friends or a boy/girlfriend. Avoid posting pictures of yourself wearing clothing with your school name, hometown or some other personal identifier on it. Turn off location services. These allow other people to see where you are when you’re using your computer or smartphone. Respecting Friends Your child is interacting with other kids online. That’s the point of social media.