Teaching feelings is ultimately teaching a child to be their own best friend—to sit with themselves in the dark, to understand their own hearts, and to treat themselves and others with compassion.
Teaching feelings often locates the problem inside the child’s brain. But a child who is bullied, hungry, or living in chaos does not need a breathing exercise—they need changed conditions. Without addressing environment, “teaching feelings” becomes gaslighting: “You can choose to feel better.” teaching feelings
Many parents punish anger (yelling, timeout) but comfort sadness. This teaches children that anger is "bad" and should be suppressed. Teaching feelings is ultimately teaching a child to