What were you taught to do when you felt crabby as a kid? Did you watch your parents and others complain, lash out, brood silently – or did the people around you offer viable solutions for tending to low feeling emotions? You don’t have to blame anyone that you didn’t learn appropriate ways to work with strong emotion – just learn some tools you can share with your family now. 
Emotion has a purpose. When we’re upset, often our perspectives or circumstances can benefit from attention and possibly a change. Byron Katie’s book Tiger, Tiger Is It True? highlights a fun way to introduce the power of perspective to a child. Adults can take notes also.
Teaching kids to listen to their bodies when they are upset allows them to experience a way to identify, move, transform, and release energy that deeply honors themselves and others. Yoga is one way kids and adults can take some time to listen within, exercise, and move stuck or stagnant energy. After you learn a few poses you can do them when you feel upset – instead of lashing out, brooding, or blaming.
Here are a few yoga resources your family may enjoy…
The inspiration for this post came from a book my friend, Michelle, passed along to me…
“Zoe is just 3, and I am astounded by all the love packed in her tiny body. Her parents taught her to stretch her body when she’s crabby, so you’ll see her on the floor, head to knees, repeating ‘crabby, stretching, crabby, stretching.’ Zoe is a succulent kid!” -from The Bodacious Book of Succulence by Sark
Nice… I am going to get that book.
Thank you!
What a great post. It can be really difficult to remember to allow our children to deeply feel and experience their strong emotions without attaching our own judgments to them. I love the sense of validation shown in the example of Zoe!
I really identify with this post. I’m actually getting ready to write some posts about the topics you cover here: dealing with our own issues that are brought up when you are parenting, yoga and meditation to help, and reviewing Tiger, Tiger. Only, I’m not going to post them in one eloquent post as you do. I hadn’t thought of how well they tie together prior to reading this. Again, I’m so happy to have connected with you through carnatpar. I’ll be sharing on facebook & twitter, too
Thank you, everyone!