by David Gullen

Created on: November 21, 2009   Last Updated: November 23, 2009

Life can be undeniably cruel. As fine as everything may seem,it can be swept from under you in the blink of an eye. Whether dealing with loss, hardship, or grief, it is difficult to maintain a positive outlook and a sunny demeanor. Pain is real, loss is real, the emotions attached are powerful and at times overwhelming. Yet somehow we must weather the storm, especially when you spend most of your time with a toddler who may not understand, but knows that something is wrong.

A toddler is a raw emotional being that often times will feed on the mood of a parent, especially the primary care giver. The range of emotion they express is amazing and can change in an instant; joy becomes sorrow, happiness anger, intrigue fear. We cannot completely understand the complexities that are taking place within their beautiful little minds, but we can understand what is going on within our own, and that is what we must control. Nobody is perfect, complete control of our emotions is impossible, but a slight delay in our reactions to them is paramount .

The point here is that we have to remain rational and have a semblance of control in front of our little ones. Children are intuitive creatures, they can tell when something is amiss, and will react to our emotional standard. If you feel overwhelmed, get some help, a family member, a friend, a neighbor. If there is nobody available, find a safe haven for the child and give yourself some time to pull it together. Whatever the circumstance may be, or how dire the situation is, it is imperative that you do the best you can to keep it from your child. They know that something is wrong, they just do not know how to fully control the emotions they feel, so try to keep the negative to a minimum. The world is filled with beauty, but it is balanced with ugliness, one of the main priorities for a parent is to shield their child as much as they can from the latter. Find an outlet, release your pain, but not in front of your child who is keenly aware of any change in their emotional surroundings. Keep that smile, fill them with love and play, even if all you want to do is roll up in a ball and hide from the world. Remember to your child you are the superhero, it's incumbent upon you to play the part, no matter how difficult or painful it may be.

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