Dr. Watson, who established the psychological school of behaviorism, thought that at birth, there are three emotional reactions: fear, rage and love. That is to say, emotions are there long before children are unable to express themselves in words.

Gradually they learn the names of the emotions but still don’t understand what these emotions are about exactly. In this respect, we can offer them help.
 

When I was little, I suffered a lot of grievances for not understanding my own emotions, grievances that are still fresh in my mind even after so many years.

I would cry, make noises or sulk, but I would not voluntarily tell my parents, “Yes, I am very angry now” or “Yes, I’m so sad right now.” Why? Because no one told me that these emotions had their own names and I could say them out loud, which could be understood and accepted.
 

As a parent, I’ve tried to seize the right moments to teach my child about happiness, sadness, anger and other emotions. For example, when my daughter took baths and played with water, I would tell her, “Baby, you are playing with water. So happy!”

Or when she was cried when she saw us leave home for work, we would tell her, “Baby, you feel very sad now, because you don’t want us to go to work.” When she intentionally spilled milk on the bed, I told her, “Mom is angry because you spilled milk on purpose.”
 

Gradually, she’s learned to retell the story in picture books and describe the emotions of characters based on the pictures. We might say, “Oh, Meiyi fell down. So sad.” Or “The lizard is angry. Huh! ”

At ordinary times, when we are playing games together, I also guide her to learn more about emotions. We’ll grovel on the bed and pretend to be angry, saying, “Oh! Mom is angry because I have no milk to drink. Take some milk for me and I will be happy.”
 

One day, she and her dad were playing on the bed. From a long way away, I heard her shouting, “Mom, come quick, daddy is crying!” I said hurriedly, “Daddy is crying? Give him a hug and he will feel better.” She hastened to correct me, “No, he is sad.”

Look, at least she has learned to recognize one emotion exactly, hasn’t she?