Stories for Growth: Making Meaning of Emotions
“Stories for Growth: Making Meaning of Emotions” is a collection of animated videos and community resources. These resources were designed by parents for parents: (biological, adoptive, or foster), grandparents, caregivers, educators, and all others who care for children.
We invite all caring adults to strengthen their emotional intelligence skills and develop helpful strategies. These skills and strategies equip us to strengthen our relationships and guide children. Skilled adults are supportive adults.
"Stories for Growth" Video Collection
Why Storytelling? People have been telling stories for thousands of years. They are a powerful way to connect, educate, and inspire. Stories were core to our parent leadership group. We began meeting with each other at a public library. We focused on sharing stories, not concepts. Together, we embarked on a journey to learn about our emotions and our children’s emotions. We set out to create positive change in our families and communities. We reflected on how our emotions affected the emotional climate of our homes. We fostered skills that deepened our relationships. We became Parents Leading the Way to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). These are our stories.
1. What Difference Would It Have Made?
Carmen describes feeling alone growing up despite being in such a big family. Carmen reflects on the different emotional climates she experienced at home, at school, and when visiting another family every summer. Hear how Carmen initiates conversations about emotions with her children and grandchildren to build a positive emotional climate in her home and to help every family member feel connected, cared for, and supported.
2. Growing Up, We Didn't Talk About Emotions
Susan shares her journey from childhood to motherhood as she learns the value of having a nuanced feeling word vocabulary. As she recognizes and names the full range of her emotions, she becomes more skilled with regulating her emotions. Susan uses the skills of emotion regulation for herself and co-regulation with her son to create a more stable, structured, and responsive home environment.
3. Vividly Remembering That Episode of My Childhood
Children are deeply affected by the ways their parents, teachers, and other primary adults treat them. Maria’s story brings that truth home. She shares a painful childhood experience of physical abuse when her father was hijacked by his emotions. The experience had a lasting impact. She values new skills she’s learned for managing her emotions as an adult. As parents and caring adults, we can learn to effectively manage strong feelings. We can be role models to our children for handling emotionally-intense situations. This is an important way to protect children from the inside out as they grow and navigate their own lives.
4. When I Grow, My Child Grows
Ivoni struggled with feeling like an outsider in a new community. After immigrating to the United States from Peru, she felt isolated. She couldn’t speak English or seek out social connections for herself or her daughter. She noticed her daughter was struggling to make friends. Ivoni’s conviction to support her daughter’s healthy development pushed her to grow. Ivoni used “positive self-talk” and “positive reframing” to find her courage to take English classes. She became a positive role model for her daughter about overcoming her fears.
5. Everyday Challenges Present Opportunities
What do conversations about emotions look like with children and teenagers? Bobie Jo and Vincent share how they connect with their children every day about emotions. Adults can connect with kids through play and conversation. This supports children’s healthy development and keeps their relationships strong. As parents and caring adults, Bobie Jo and Vincent serve as guides for their children’s emotional development. They show the skills of emotional intelligence in action.
6. Second Chances
“Emotional injuries” are bound to happen within families or most close human relationships. Whether small or big, they can stir up many emotions. In this story, Tony explores his complex family relationships. He shares how he repaired his relationships with his biological father and his son. The impact of our actions matters and affects our relationships. Hear how Tony uses self-awareness, empathy, perspective-taking, and compassion.
7. A Light in You
Content Warning: Contains domestic violence.
Trauma and hope are delicately interwoven in this story. When Lovey was a child, he witnessed family and community violence. This left him feeling hopeless and powerless. Yet, with the support of caring adults in his life, Lovey built resilience as he grew older. He learned to use emotional intelligence skills to de-escalate emotions and resolve conflicts. He reminds us that we can all promote emotional safety in our families and communities.
It begins with us. When adults understand the value of emotions and learn about them, they can show children how to do the same. We are building a path toward greater well-being for all. Check out our Workshops page to see how you can bring this workshop series to your community.