Parenting is hard.

Here are 3 key ideas to practice emotional intelligence with your kids and yourself.

1. See emotions as data

As parents, we’re faced with a lot of complex feelings – ours and our children’s. It’s easy to be overwhelmed. Some parents push feelings aside while other parents give feelings too much power. Instead, consider emotions as information: “Oh, that’s interesting. I wonder what this feeling means?”

This attitude of curiosity helps us find value and insight from feelings while stepping back from reacting. The Emotoscope Feeling Chart is a great resource for understanding the meaning and purpose of all feelings.

2. Hold onto your choices

Sometimes we think, “there’s nothing I can do,” or, “my child is always going to be _____” or, “she will never ______.” We’ve tried telling, yelling, time-outs…. and we’re ready to pop. Remember, parenting is a many-years-long marathon, and it gets exhausting. And, that also means we have many chances to try again. To learn, to experiment: We have choices.

This attitude of learning helps us parents remain resilient as we continue to adapt to kids’ changing needs. This is especially difficult when we’re in conflict – try one of these strategies to ‘fight well with others.’

3. Keep parenting on purpose

Parenting is one of the most powerful ways to affect the future. As parents, we directly influence not only our children, but a whole generation of young people who will lead, innovate, grow – and, many of whom will also be parents in turn. When we feel connected to our own sense of purpose-as-parents, it gives us perspective. The small things remain small. Purpose becomes a guide to help us navigate the complexities.

This focus on the long-term, and putting our vision into action, helps us maintain balance and energy. One of the most powerful ways to build this is collaborating as a family on a larger mission — together, hold a POP-UP Festival in partnership with UNICEF World Children’s Day. It works beautifully with a few friends, or a whole community.

Want Less Conflict with Your Kids? Try Empathy

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