50 articles, lots of emotions and even more fun. Thank you for participating in the #stayhome #timeforrelationships initiative.

For the following 10 weeks, we presented the world of children’s emotions and behaviours. We practised empathy, we did square breathing to calm our nerves, we reflected on our boundaries and the way we react when someone crosses them. I write: “we”, because I hope you have been able to try the proposed exercises and read the recommended articles. If any of them have changed your view of children’s emotions and feelings, our mission can be considered successful. If we have contributed to improving family relationships, even in the smallest way, that is an accomplishment! 

The key to being happy and having complete relationships is understanding yourself and others. Understanding what they think and feel, without judging or categorising others. Hard, isn’t it? This is why it’s important to get to know the elements of this art from an early age. If we teach our children to eat with a fork, dress by themselves or ride a scooter, why not explain to them what empathy or gratitude is? Why not show them how to set common rules or how to face anger (because anger will appear in a young person’s life anyway)? If we manage to instil this knowledge in our children, they will face the world with the best capital we can offer them. They will have sensitivity towards themselves and towards others, their emotions and their needs.   

I don’t know about you, but when I was preparing texts for publication, I found myself not always thinking about children’s emotions, but working on my own feelings and behaviours. I was wondering if I can talk about my needs, when the last time I bust a gut was and whether I tend to impose my point of view on others. These articles allowed me to scan my emotions and the way I deal with them. The conclusions varied. Fortunately, it’s never too late to work on something and to change. As adults, we sometimes need tutoring on dealing with lack of acceptance or being brave. Let’s extract from these articles what we currently need and come back to them when we face another parenting challenge.

All source materials are prepared by the team of Kulczyk Foundation’s Education Department in cooperation with teachers and experts – pedagogists, psychologists and cultural experts – and verified by an experienced family therapist Kamila Becker. Kinga Kuszak, PhD, Professor of Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Educational Studies, provides content-related supervision over Kulczyk Foundation’s educational materials. All materials are covered by the content patronage of the Faculty of Educational Studies of Adam Mickiewicz University.

The article was published on 01.06.2020 on the website of Instytut Dobrego Życia (Good Life Institute)

Authors: Marta Tomaszewska (Kulczyk Foundation) and Anna Woźniak (Instytut Dobrego Życia)