Gertrude Lyons ‘06

Gertrude Lyons ‘06 (Midwest, MA) wrote about the importance of allowing children to express their emotions in a parenting article in MindBodyGreen. She encourages parents to validate their kids and allow children to embody all emotions (responsibly) in order to prepare them for the ups and downs they will face in their lives. Many parents curb their children’s emotional expression for a number of reasons including societal pressure, their own family of origin’s perceptions of emotional expression, and unresolved events from our pasts. In her article, Lyons stresses the importance of raising our self-awareness of historical triggers and healing the challenges and traumas of our past. She goes on to explain the sources of our anger and lays out a three step process to approach our childrens’ emotions with grace, validations, and reinforcement. Read the full article here.