The Power of Acknowledging a Child’s Feelings

A mom explained that her preschooler, Robbie, would often express sadness during the day when his dad was gone to work. When Robbie told her "I miss my daddy", she would reassure him that his dad would be home at dinner time. This reassurance didn’t seem to help Robbie as he would respond even louder "But I really miss him!"

One time instead of trying to reassure Robbie, she acknowledged his feelings saying "You are really sad that Daddy isn’t here right now. You are welcome to miss him as much as you want." Robbie calmed down much more quickly than when she tried to convince him that there was nothing to be sad about since his dad would be home soon.