Emotional Development: Toddlers

When parents start talking about their toddlers, the subject of development often comes up.  Frequently, we talk about what are children are doing physically (When did he walk?  When did she throw a ball?  Is he running yet?).  We also talk about language (When did she say her first word?  Is he using sentences yet?  Does she say no all the time like my kid?)  We feel comfortable talking to our pediatricians about these subjects as well-in fact we expect them to ask about this type of development.  The subject of emotional development comes up less frequently, but it is just as crucial.  People are emotional beings.  The ability to modulate one's emotions in a variety of environments is vital to so many things: making friends, persevering through a difficult assignment in school, not allowing your latest break-up to affect you at work.  While for most parents of toddlers, those last two scenarios are a long way off, it's important to start looking at how your children are developing their emotional selves.  Keep in mind that at this time frequent and intense ups and downs are completely normal.  The more you know about your child's emotional development as a toddler, the more you will know how to support him as he grows.  The following is a great article about what emotional development might look like for toddlers.  Enjoy and tell me what you think in the comments!

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Emotional-Development-2-Year-Olds.aspx