Community Announcements

Birdsland Then and Now

Belgrave Library is hosting a panel of speakers on the dramatic and varied history of Birdsland, on Thursday 9 October at 1:30pm.

See attached for more information.

Hope in the Hills Holiday Club

Focus on the Family's Tip of the Week

Acknowledging Feelings

The key to helping your child feel understood is to acknowledge their feelings. Follow these steps to get more in tune with your child:

Label the feeling

For younger children, the simpler label you offer the better. Use words like mad, happy, sad and scared. For older children, more specific words help them to pinpoint the exact emotion: disappointed, worried and embarrassed.

State the reason for the feeling 

Make your best guess as to why your child feels as he does. For example, say, "It looks like you're mad because Mum said you can't have dessert today."

Don't judge your child

Your child needs to know that it is okay to express emotion. However, at times you may need to teach your child how to express thier feelings in ways that are healthy and not hurtful to others.

Support your child 

Give physical support (hugs, kisses) and verbal support by acknowledging your child's feelings.

Help them understand why they are upset 

Help them to connect feelings with experiences. Ask open-ended questions about what caused the anger, sadness, fear, etc.

Give your child space 

They may need to be taken out of the upsetting situation briefly to find a way to calm down.

Teach your child empathy 

When your child is angry or sad, remind her that others often feel the same way. Help her think of ways they might help someone if they were feeling the same emotion. They will develop empathy for others and may find ways to help herself in the process.

Don't try to fix it all 

Allow your child to find ways to problem-solve and calm themselves. 

Don't bribe your child to them to stop feeling upset 

You don't want to short-circuit your child's experience. She needs to learn how to manage her feelings over the long term.

Don't distract your child from her feelings

By acting as if nothing has happened or avoiding negative feelings, we prevent children from learning how to deal with them properly.

Don't punish your child 

Scolding a child for experiencing negative feelings will not only make her feel worse but it will discourage her from having those feelings — or being open about them. Instead of discouraging the experience of these emotions, it is crucial to encourage the proper expression of them.

For more parenting advice, visit www.families.org.au