Mother explains how parents can develop their child's capacity for empathy with patience

Parenting is hands-down one of the most difficult jobs in the entire world. It is a job you can only get better at with experience. The good part, however, is the fact that new parents now have great access to all kinds of parenting books, novels and tips that allow them to either make fewer mistakes or at least recognize their own mistakes better. Stephanie Pinto—who goes by @emotionally.intelligent.parent on Instagram— recently spoke about how helpful emotionally intelligent parenting is in a viral video.

Pinto is an emotional intelligence parenting coach, bestselling author, international speaker and podcaster, according to her caption. In the video, Pinto can be seen typing something on her laptop with an overlay text telling us what we need to know. The text tells viewers that Pinto is patiently waiting for parents to understand that when they stop fighting against their kid's big emotions and start accepting and honoring them instead, the whole parenting process for them will become a lot easier. What this means is that instead of trying to put your kids' emotions on a leash and controlling them, parents should try to empathize with them. Not only will it make parenting easier for them, but it will also positively affect their relationship with their kids.

In the caption of this post, Pinto states five points that can be used by parents to bring emotional intelligence into their family. The first tip is to not shut down kids' big emotions, as allowing them to feel how they feel will go a long way toward turning them into empathetic adults. The second tip she mentions is, "Show your child they can talk to you by validating how they feel (even if you don’t agree)." Doing this will build a sense of trust in your kid's heart towards you. Third, teach your kids by example the distinct difference between accepting all of one's emotions and accepting all the behaviors they result in.

The fourth point she mentions is that parents should normalize all feelings for their kids, especially ones like frustration, anger, disappointment and anxiety. Normalizing all emotions, especially ones that can make one comfortable, will not only make a child more sensitive and expressive but also teach them to be kind and empathetic towards other people who feel similarly. Last but not least, she says that parents should lead by example. Inculcating a model of emotional intelligence in yourself as a parent can often inevitably inculcate the same in your kids since kids learn from actions. Pinto loves everything about emotional intelligence and parenting and her social media is full of wonderful details about the same. The reason for that is that knowing about emotional intelligence can be a game-changer when it comes to parenting.

She says, "Imagine having the ability to 'master' your emotions in challenging situations so that you don’t blow up or shut down when your kids are arguing or being uncooperative." She further adds, "Imagine feeling like you’re nailing this parenting thing. Like, despite whatever your childhood was, you know in your gut you’re raising kind, confident, resilient kids." She concludes her caption on an inspiring note and tells viewers that they got it. @adadliftingdads commented, "It then becomes a different kind of hard." While she doesn't say it is a cakewalk, Pinto knows that this is achievable when parents have the correct intention and guidance.