Understanding Child Development

Take our Authoritative Parenting Test

Find a child or adolescent therapist near me

Children may learn to suppress their emotional needs when their feelings are ignored or minimized.

Many adults raised this way grow up fearing they will appear “needy” if they express feelings.

Having emotional needs is a natural and healthy part of being human.

How do you raise a child to have no emotional needs? Turns out, it’s remarkably, shockingly easy. It’s so easy that many parents do it by accident, despite wanting everything good for their child, and despite trying to do everything right as a parent.

In fact, raising a child to have no emotional needs is so easy that it’s scary.

You just have to do a few special things. Or, rather, you just have to not do a few special things. We will talk about those special things in a minute, but first, I have a question for you.

Do you see having no emotional needs as a strength? Many people do. In fact, a surprising number of us have been taught that being “strong” means needing very little from other people, especially when it comes to emotions.

Yet we humans are emotional beings. Our emotions are built into the most basic parts of our central nervous system. They are the deepest, most biological expression of our past and present experiences, wants, responses, reactions, and needs. Our emotions are vital messages from our deepest selves.

What connects two people together in a love relationship? Emotions. What has motivated........

© Psychology Today