A child who learns emotional responsibility is less likely to be controlled by whatever feeling is present at a given moment. He or she also will be less vulnerable to impulsivity, emotionally unstable or abusive relationships. Emotionally responsible people also are less prone to substance abuse as a way to act out or to numb their feelings.
If we want to model emotional responsibility for our children, we must take responsibility for the way we deal with a situation, even if we believe that someone else is to blame for triggering our anger or pain. For example, when we are emotionally responsible, we can see that someone cutting us off on the highway is not the reason that we aggressively tailgate that car for the rest of the drive to work. Tailgating that driver is our way of dealing with our frustration and anger.
If we want to be emotionally responsible, we must slow down our reaction time and take space to identify our feelings."
If we want to model emotional responsibility for our children, we must take responsibility for the way we deal with a situation, even if we believe that someone else is to blame for triggering our anger or pain. For example, when we are emotionally responsible, we can see that someone cutting us off on the highway is not the reason that we aggressively tailgate that car for the rest of the drive to work. Tailgating that driver is our way of dealing with our frustration and anger.
If we want to be emotionally responsible, we must slow down our reaction time and take space to identify our feelings."
