Dear Fellow Parents,

What do you do when your child has a meltdown in public? Do you start to panic or do you try to help your child handle their very big emotions? (No shame if you panic – we’ve all been there!) Here’s the thing. Emotions can be tough – especially when they come out of nowhere or at an unexpected time. These moments frustrate us because we want to help our kids, but the struggle is real! If only there was a way to help teach kids about emotions…

Let me tell you a story.

Some time ago, my 3-year-old son Ben was watching his favorite cartoon. Now, cartoon viewing time is really special for him because the screen time in our house is limited. But, in the middle of his cartoon, the electricity went out. And things went south…fast. In the minutes following, Ben expressed every emotion imaginable!

First, it was confusion. “Mom, where is my cartoon?” Then, it changed to anxiety. “Mom, my cartoon disappeared! Why?! I want it back! Bring it baaaack!” (Do all kids just believe their moms have magical powers?!) Finally, he became overwhelmed with sadness and the tears started falling.

But, a surprisingly beautiful thing happened. Ben asked, “Mom, why am I crying?” I gently answered my son’s question, “You can feel,” And that was when I realized the next personalized book by NAMEE will be dedicated to feeling emotions.

You see, that moment with Ben showed me that kids need to be taught that it is okay to feel emotions and what these feelings are. After that conversation with my 3-year-old, I started making it a point to help my son learn different emotions. The happiness of eating ice cream. The fear of seeing a big dog coming. The love for a pet. Every time I saw an emotion, I took a note and explained it to Ben.  And I made a note to include the emotion and the example in NAMEE’s book on emotions.

And you know what? The result is amazing! We have a beautiful book based on our kid’s experienced feelings. Plus, this time we did things right!

Our little ones approved NAMEE’s personalized emotions book immediately. And I’m betting your children will, too!

Loving Mom and NAMEE Project Manager,

Migle