Episode 6: Tiny Humans, Big Emotions - Learning to Label Emotions

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Helloooo, and welcome back! I'm your host, Pubali Sen, mama bear to two little cubs – five-year-old Ihaan, my resident volcano of emotions, and two-year-old Elena, the queen of dramatic sighs. If you've ever wondered how to navigate the wild jungle of toddler emotions, you've come to the right place. Today, we're diving deep into the magical world of emotional regulation, and how something as simple as talking about feelings can transform your tiny humans into zen masters… Okay, maybe not zen masters, but definitely calmer, happier kiddos.
Sounds familiar, right? That's the symphony of my everyday life. But here's the thing I've learned: those meltdowns, those tantrums, those ear-piercing shrieks – they're not just your child trying to push your buttons. They're a cry for help, a desperate attempt to communicate something they don't yet have the words for.

And that's where the magic of talking about emotions comes in.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. "Pubali, are you serious? My three-year-old can barely string a sentence together, let alone articulate the complex nuances of their emotional state!"

Trust me, I get it. But here's the secret: it's not about expecting them to deliver a Shakespearean monologue on their inner turmoil. It's about introducing them to the vocabulary of feelings, giving them the tools to label those swirling storms inside them.

The other day, Ihaan was building a magnificent cookie tower. It was a masterpiece of engineering, at least in his five-year-old eyes. Then, disaster struck. Elena, in her wobbly toddler glory, bumped into the table, sending the cookie tower crashing down. Cue the waterworks.

Now, my old self would have probably jumped into "fix-it" mode. "Oh, it's okay, Ihaan! We'll build another one. Here, have another cookie." But this time, I remembered the power of emotional vocabulary.

I knelt beside him, and instead of dismissing his feelings, I acknowledged them. "Ihaan, I see your cookie tower fell down, and you look really sad."

He sniffled, "Yeah, I'm sad. And mad!"

Bingo! We had a breakthrough. He was able to label his emotions, and that in itself was calming him down. We talked about how it's okay to feel sad and mad when something we worked hard on breaks. We even came up with a plan to build an even bigger, better tower together.

The meltdown subsided, replaced by a collaborative spirit and a renewed sense of hope. All thanks to a few simple words.

Now, I'm not saying that every emotional outburst will magically dissolve into rainbows and sunshine with a few magic words. But by consistently labeling emotions, you're giving your child an invaluable gift: the gift of self-awareness.

Imagine a world where, instead of a screaming, flailing child, you have a child who can say, "Mommy, I'm feeling frustrated because I can't put my shoes on." It's a game-changer, my friends.


Elena, my little drama queen, is all about those big, dramatic emotions. At the playground the other day, another child snatched her favorite bucket. Cue the tears, the stomping, the full-body meltdown.

Instead of scolding her for "overreacting," I scooped her up and said, "Elena, you seem really angry that your bucket was taken."

She buried her face in my shoulder and mumbled, "Angry! Bucket gone!"

And there it was again – that powerful connection between feeling and expression. We talked about how it's okay to feel angry, but it's not okay to hit or grab. We brainstormed other ways she could express her anger, like using her words or askin