2. It Decreases Emotional Awareness
A baby begins to understand emotion as they interact with their parents. They see the concern in your eyes when they cry, and you comfort them. When they feel better inside, they associate your smile with feeling good, safe and cared for. They’re beginning to identify their emotions through you. Every parent, at one time or another, picks up their crying child and rocks them back and forth while tending to something else. These days the distraction may be finishing up what they’re reading on their small screen or checking out the newly arrived post by a friend. The baby senses in their own way that you are not fully present. Without your input and full attention, they’re missing the all-important eye contact that helps them link the physical ways they’re feeling with happiness, sadness, anger, or excitement. As children get older your available time to look into their eyes with attentiveness remains crucial. Inviting them to open up to you assists them in articulating what’s going on inside. Your responses help them distinguish their feelings and how to express them effectively.
