Question
My child, who is 14 years old, has a habit of spending excessive time washing his face and in the bathroom. When he disagrees with his parents, he shows impoliteness and emotional outbursts, sometimes even resorting to violent behavior. He gets along well with classmates at school, but when his exam results are unsatisfactory at the end of the semester, he exhibits out-of-control emotional reactions, such as rolling on the ground and crying loudly. Recently, after an argument with his father, he has been feeling emotionally low, losing interest in everything, not doing homework, and not watching TV. He has expressed a desire to die twice after two arguments.
Answer
Firstly, when a child becomes emotionally irritable, parents should remain calm and try to understand the source of the child’s emotions, communicating patiently to alleviate their feelings. Secondly, identify the reasons behind the child’s emotional fluctuations. It could be due to the parents’ attitudes and behaviors affecting them or because the child did not receive appropriate responses when they were angry, leading to accumulated emotions. Parents should reflect on their educational approach and try to establish good communication and interaction with their child to help them better manage their emotions.