The Heart Of Parenting John Gottman Summary

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Charity Bodine John Gottman’s work “The Heart of Parenting: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child” is a brilliant piece that digs into parenting on a different perspective. Most people seem to disregard emotions when raising a child, which can be extremely detrimental. He mentions that parents ignore the “world” of emotion to determine why a child misbehaves. Instead of determining the feelings that cause misbehavior, parents dismiss their child acting out as them “just being a kid”. I agree with this except when addressing toddlers. I personally believe if you are unable to properly communicate with a child, you cannot fully analyze their emotions. Gottman goes on to say “the ultimate goal of raising children should not be simply to …show more content…

Some poor emotional coaches Gottman describes tend to only choose punishment or empathy when dealing with a tantrum-prone child. Ignoring the child’s negative emotions is a recipe for disaster. The child will confuse genuine sadness or anger with unacceptable behaviors. Other parents simply accept their child’s emotion, which is just as toxic. By neglecting to set limits on the child’s behavior, they will never understand how to properly present themselves in public. Combining the two approaches can propose successful results. We live in such a busy world that parent’s tend to seek the quickest option to stop the child’s outburst. Taking the time to truly address the issue and seek options to prevent future outbursts is the most ideal approach to …show more content…

My parents would often disapprove of my emotional outbreaks and I did not comprehend why I would be punished following an episode. I wrongfully assumed my punishment stemmed from the emotion itself and not the way I handled the situation. Many parents, including my own, never fully understand how to handle a poignant child. According to Gottman, your child’s negative emotions are not a reflection on your parenting. Parents often believe an emotional child is not well adjusted. Gottman explains it is acceptable to set limits and boundaries when regarding emotional outbreaks. When setting these restrictions, ensure the child realizes their punishment is because of the way they handled their emotions, not the emotion itself. With those limits, you must allow the child to express themselves. If a child throws a tantrum, find the root of their emotion, and calmly elucidate why their behavior is

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