As parents, we know that our children are always watching us, learning from us, and imitating us. One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is how to manage their emotions. It’s not always easy, but it’s essential for their emotional wellbeing and their ability to build healthy relationships.
I want to share a story about Lisa an expat mom who moved abroad a year ago and was struggling to manage her temper. Lisa found that the stresses of expat life, coupled with the challenges of adjusting to a new culture, and her husband’s demanding job were taking a toll on her emotional wellbeing. She found herself snapping at her children more often than she’d like and struggling to stay patient with them.
Lisa realized that her children were learning from her, and she didn’t want them to pick up her bad habits. She started to work on managing her emotions, learning to recognize her triggers and finding healthy ways to cope with her stress. While Lisa worked hard to manage her emotions and model healthy behaviors for her children, she realized she needed more support. With her husband’s job and the lack of community, Lisa reached out help for help to develop strategies to manage her emotions and cope with stress.
It wasn’t always easy, but over time, Lisa noticed a significant change in her behavior and how her children responded to her. Lisa’s children were also starting to be able to recognize and identify some of their own big emotions. They were all learning healthy coping strategies. Lisa realized that by showing her children that changing her reactions was possible, she was teaching them one of the most valuable life skills they could learn.
As parents, we have a responsibility to model the behaviors we want our children to adopt. It’s not always easy, but by managing our emotions and showing our children that it’s possible, we’re giving them a gift that will last a lifetime.
If you find the information in here helpful, please share it with a friend. Expat parenting isn’t and feeling less alone makes the harder days a bit easier. You can share this link freebie.mirsadahoffmann.com/newsletter
Sending you love,
Mirsada
Pssst….if it has been one of those days where you have struggled to manage you sh*t……don’t worry, we all have those days. Your child still loves you and is so lucky to have you. You are amazing!
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