Emily Chan
One of the biggest challenges for parents is how to respond when their child is hurt by another kid, whether it’s physically or emotionally.
How you treat your child in the aftermath of a conflict and the way you react to their feelings matter greatly. Children need to know that their emotions are of great significance.
TikToker Tiana Sharifi (@tianasharifi) is a mom to a toddler, and she’s speaking up about a controversial opinion that has to do with putting your child’s feelings before another adult’s.
The other day, Tiana was at the park with her two-year-old toddler when another little kid rushed at Tiana’s daughter without warning and dug her nails into her daughter’s cheeks.
The mother of the other child was telling her no but wasn’t really doing anything else to stop the behavior. Tiana had to physically grab the kid and pry her hands off her toddler’s cheeks.
The mother apologized to Tiana, saying they were still learning appropriate boundaries. Tiana’s first instinct was to stay polite and not do anything to upset the mom or other kid.
However, she quickly fought the urge just to brush the whole situation off because her child was the one who was hurt in this situation, and she needed to acknowledge that.
“What is so key for her, especially as she grows older, is seeing how much her parents defend and protect her,” said Tiana.
So instead of telling the mom it was okay and sparing her feelings, Tiana focused on her daughter’s emotions. She asked if she was okay and validated the fact that the other kid’s actions were wrong.
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