My child is very angry these days. How can I understand what is going on?
...spontaneous drawings can help reveal inner emotions, fears, worries
... read a story together that talks about anger (and emotions in general) or even invent a story together, taking turns to add plot and characters so that the child's fears are acted out
... address the subject of anger openly, in a relaxed dialogue that is more about listening than responding or explaining ... depending on the age of the child.
How to behave, what to do when faced with a child's sadness and worry?
Sadness and worry are emotions and feelings that even a child can experience: recognising, that is, naming the emotions precisely is the first step a parent must take. It is therefore important to manifest one's reassuring and consoling presence, one's availability but without falling into insistence. Helping the child to recognise and give the right name to the emotion he or she is experiencing is the first step towards accepting and dealing with it. Never deny an emotion, believing that 'it will pass' ... every emotion - whatever it may be - leaves an indelible trace within us. Instead, try to share the emotion, recounting when it happens to you ... And again, we renew the invitation to read books together that deal with the specific topic and again, together, recount what happens in the book, adding comments and considerations to make the child speak, but through a third person ... it is easier to recount through the experience of the characters in the book.