Two Children, Two Lives, Two Tappings… What’s on Your Child’s Mind?

Today I am mindful of Tapping with two terrific kids: Leena, who had some worries about being late, and what that might mean or say about her. And Sydney, who gets frustrated when trying to find ‘friends that fit.’ Just like adults, kids all have fears and worries – and when we look at them with an open heart, we find that the worries say volumes ABOUT us, instead of just being an annoying situation. So, how can we use these frustrations and worries to open up a deeper conversation or introspection, one that will serve us as we grow in the world, and expand our understanding of ourselves?

My tapping partner in the below video, Leena, felt worry when rushing to catch the bus, or going on field trips, which are very common childhood events and fears. No one wants to be left behind, or called out for being out of synch with the group, right? Watch as we tap together; she is easily able to relieve those feelings, and make herself feel comfortable. And that’s the beauty of tapping – we can take care of and re-empower ourselves. You can do this, too!

Sydney had a different issue on her mind.  Most of us have experienced a time when we cannot ‘find friends that fit,’ as Sydney put it.  Because we grow emotionally and physically at different rates, we can often find we’re feeling out of sync with our peers.  And when we take this information as a point of departure for tapping, we’re actually doing something proactive about it, instead of just complaining or compounding the belief that ‘life is hard.’  Try this, and you’ll see that it’s easy to take care of yourself when feeling this way, just like Sydney did.  Once the unsettling feelings and body sensations that are alerting us to the problem are gone, we can feel better, see more clearly, and make better decisions about our next steps to fix the problem!   Listen in as Sydney does just that:

The basics of tapping with kids are easy:

Identify the troubling thought or situation, in very simple terms. Using simple FACTS rather than story or judgement is very helpful.

Identify the troubling FEELINGS they have about the situation, right now. (‘And that makes me feel….?’)

Rate HOW MUCH feeling this is giving them, right now. Is it BIG or tiny? Scary or annoying? Heavy or Confusing? About a #3 or a #9?

Tap with them, using very basic EFT set-up skills and points*, stopping to check every few rounds to see how much troubling feeling is left, until total relief is felt or the child lets you know they are ‘done.’ Children are usually ‘done’ much faster than adults. (Be prepared for some surprising insights and Ah-Has!)

The simple Tapping ‘recipe’ is a balance of a target problem + an affirmation or acknowledgement that is bigger or more universal than the identified problem.

The classic recipe Example is:

(Even though I have this ____ problem)

+

(I deeply and completely accept myself.)

Let’s put that classic, structural ‘recipe’ to use, by making it more accessible and friendly. Choose words the child might better identify with, like so:

(I am really angry he did that) + (I accept the way I feel)

(Jenny was so mean to me!) + (It’s ok to feel upset)

(I’m worried about the test) + (but I studied, and I know that helps.)

(I’m not comfortable telling you what happened) + (and I want you to love me, anyway.)

That last statement reminds me to say that we ALL want that! Of course we do! And there’s no one that needs to hear that more than our children. They literally need to hear that they are loved and valued, no matter what.

For more about working with children and kids and making a difference in their lives and futures, come work with me! Use the Contact page and or the Individual Sessions page and we’ll be on our way to BETTER.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE