Dealing With Emotions

Emotions. They are a crazy thing. They are a good thing and they can be a bad thing, if not controlled. We all have them and we all have to learn to control them. But how do we teach our children to control their emotions? I am learning this is tricky,hard,and not always fun. I have 3 boys and they all have some strong emotions. They get it honest, my husband and I are a pair of passionate people. When they are infants you can only do so much as far as talking with them,but I have found it easier to help them once they are 3 and up.

I have not figured it out yet that's for sure. It's something I am just praying and seeking advice on. My second son is very emotional,by that I mean, he displays his emotions more than the others and a lot more loudly. I have found some good ways and have been given some good advice on how to help them. I wanted to share them here and welcome ANY other Biblical advice from you ladies about this topic.

• Go to scripture- This is a no brainer for me. Anytime I have a problem the Word is the ultimate source. Find scriptures that talk about anger,long sufferance,kindness,gentleness,and how we treat others. You could even find them ahead of time and use the index cards with rings to write them on. That way when something happens you can just go straight to the verses.
• Talk it out- Ask questions and see what the problem may be. Try to see what is going on and why they are displaying the emotion(s). You may can avoid any damage (or further damage by talking with them).
• Talk about not acting on our emotions- The 2 most displayed emotions from my boys are anger and whining/complaining. I try to remember to tell them that it is fine to have emotions,but we have to be careful about how we respond or act because of the emotions. They are young,but they definitely understand what I am telling them.
• Show them the right way to act- I do this a lot with my 2 year old. If he screams or throws something I will mimic him and tell him that is not what we do,instead we do this and I show him or tell him. It rings a bell in that little head for sure. With my older ones I will tell them how to say something or how we should react and then I ask them to do it.
• Pray over them- Praying for them to grasp what you are saying and that you will have the words to say to them is imperative. Even pray with them if they are old enough. 

This advice is not the short way to help our children,but it is some of the best ways. It seems much easier to just let them throw the fits or act on the anger,but in the end it is only spoiling them. If they never learn to control their emotions they will not be pleasant to be around. They definitely won't be prepared for the real world. Like I said I have NOT figured it all out yet. I am still learning of ways to help them,but these are the ones that have worked and we try to use. 

How do you help your children with their emotions? Share any tips and advice please!

 Linking up with Darlene at Time-Warp Wife today for Titus 2sdays.