Toddlers Expressing
...emotion through behavior!
One of the biggest developmental changes your 2-year old will go through is his ability to express emotions symbolically, through behavior. Before now, the only way your child could express his feelings of fear, anger, or frustration was by crying or screaming.
Your toddler is experiencing new emotions like self-confidence, jealousy, empathy, sympathy and anxiety. While he has been gaining these new emotions, he has also been developing ways of expressing them. He may use his toys, or go back to acting like a baby.
These new behaviors show that your child is developing emotionally as he should. This is a time when he needs your loving and tender guidance in sorting out the new feelings and learning the most appropriate ways of expressing them.
The two most important things you want to teach him about emotions are:
1. All feelings are acceptable
2. He/She can control the behavior brought on by their feelings
Your responses to your child's emotions lay the foundation for the way he sees his own emotional life. By learning to accept his feelings, good and bad, they can deal with them better. Your respecting his emotions helps him understand and manage his behavior, and it gives him a healthy self image.
If you begin to feel that your toddler has an unusual way of expressing himself, report it to his Pediatrician immediately! It is important to refer any concerns regarding your child's development to his/her doctor.
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