5 CRITICAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN

Emotional health is the foundation of wellbeing. Failure to recognize and satisfy emotional needs jeopardizes our children’s future and creates a setback at the foundation itself.

Stated below are the five crucial emotional needs of a child:

Need to Feel Respected

Children need to feel respected. For that to happen, they need to be treated in a courteous, thoughtful, attentive and civil manner. One of the best ways for children to learn about respect is to feel what it’s like to be treated respectfully and to observe their parents and other

adults treating one another the same way. We need to become conscious of our mistakes,willing to admit them and ready to make corrections. This will help us cultivate these values in our children.

Need to Feel Important

Feeling important refers to a child’s need to feel: “I have value. I am useful. I have power. I am somebody.” This need is evident at a very early age. Children want to do things for

themselves, and so often we get in their way. Involve your children—ask their opinions; give them things to do and share decision-making and power. This makes them ready for life.

Need to Feel Accepted

Children have a need to feel accepted as individuals in their own right, with their own uniqueness, and not treated as mere reflections of their parents and be reduced to images of what parents believe their ideal child should look like. Trivializing, ignoring or ridiculing a

a child's feelings or opinions is a rejection which weakens the relationship. Paying attention to and discussing them, even when you do not like or disagree, strengthens the relationship.

Need to Feel Included

Children need to feel included. They need to be made to feel that they are a part of the larger context. We need to build a sense of connection to family and the larger community. It happens

when people engage with others in activities and projects, when they experience things together in a meaningful way. It is important for the parents to create these opportunities.

Need to Feel Accepted

Children have a need to feel accepted as individuals in their own right, with their own uniqueness, and not treated as mere reflections of their parents and be reduced to images of what parents believe their ideal child should look like. Trivializing, ignoring or ridiculing a

a child's feelings or opinions is a rejection which weakens the relationship. Paying attention to and discussing them, even when you do not like or disagree, strengthens the relationship.