It is hard to deal with all these emotions as you are growing up. Mommy and Daddy are always trying to understand how I’m feeling, but I have a hard time expressing it. Sometimes the only way I know how to express my feelings is in ways that are not nice like using mean words or throwing things, or hitting and biting. With Mommy and Daddy’s help I’m slowly learning how to express my feelings in healthier ways. One of which is simply using my words. I’m learning how to say that I’m “angry”, “happy” and “sad”.
Today I was playing with Daddy and he moved a train that I did not want him to move. It was an honest mistake. I hadn’t told him not to move it and when he asked me if he could I mistakenly said “yes”. But I didn’t want him to move it. I told him “No, no, no” and he apologized for moving it and put it back. And without thinking I said, “Bye-bye” which is one of my mean ways of expressing my feelings. I know I’m not supposed to say it in a mean way, but it just slipped out. Daddy calmly reminded me not to say things like that and that he was sorry for moving the train.
I took a moment and then said, “Mason sad. Not happy.” Daddy acknowledge my feelings walking me through how he knew I must feel having something not go the way I wanted it to go. He also told me how proud he was of me for saying how I felt instead of acting out in a not nice way. I was relieved that he understood how I felt and that I was trying to control how I expressed my emotions. We talked about it a bit more and I started feeling better. He asked if I needed a hug and I said yes. We hugged and then I said, “Mason happy.” Daddy told me he was happy too. Then I said, “Mason happy, Daddy happy, Mommy happy. ” He confirmed that what I said was true and that he was very happy that I was able to communicate with him and work out my feelings in a healthy way. With that settled we went back to playing.
Growing up is hard, but I’m making progress every day.