Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a failure. For our young children, this failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate’s birthday party or losing their favourite stuffed animal.
It is essential for children’s mental health, well-being and overall development that they experience how to deal with disappointment well. But this can be difficult for parents to handle, particularly around holidays that have grown to involve gift-giving and expectations.
North American culture often mistakenly links love and happiness with material goods such as toys; the Santa story promises magical wish fulfillment. This can cause conflict for parents when children do not get the “right” gift.
On holidays, there’s social and personal pressure to provide happiness and joy to children through material objects, which can be confused with providing the necessities. For parents who do not have the resources to provide the perfect or desired gift, this can cause additional stress, shame, guilt and fear around disappointment. Parents may feel as though they have let down their child and that they have impacted the child’s experience or memory of their “special day”.
This is especially true if the child has difficulty with or is learning to regulate emotions and expresses disappointment through tantrums (发怒) or sulking (生闷气). These behaviours can affect parents profoundly, often leading them to feel badly about themselves or that the child does not love them.
Changing our focus from giving rather than receiving can help our children develop and appreciate the strength in gratitude. Research has linked gratitude to significant health and wellness benefits such as improving self-esteem, improving sleep and developing empathy.
The other thing to know is that although disappointment feels awful, it is a part of life and is actually a positive and healthy emotion that’s central to children’s emotional, cognitive and social development throughout their lives.
【小题1】Why is it difficult for parent to handle disappointment on Christmas?| A．It is connected with children’s overall development. |
| B．It is the custom to give gifts or show expectations. |
| C．Children are easy to have tantrums or sulking. |
| D．Children often expect too much of their parents. |
| A．Positive. | B．Concerned. | C．Interested. | D．Supportive. |
| A．It can avoid disappointment in life. |
| B．It can help children’s academic development. |
| C．It is a necessary part of one’s life. |
| D．lt helps children realize the benefits of being grateful. |
| A．What Christmas Can Teach Kids about Disappointment |
| B．How We Can Meet Our Children’s Expectations Best |
| C．What Harm Disappointment Does to Most Children |
| D．What Are the Rights to Give to Your Children on Christmas |
