annoyed at DD being told...

[BeeMyBaby]

... That she should only cry when she hurts herself. This is what her BF told her (they are 5) but I think it's an incredibly destructive thing to tell a child for MH reasons. Anyone else come across this saying? When I was in P3 my teacher constantly told me this, admittedly it's just DDs BF saying it but she must have heard it from somewhere. Just needed to vent really!

I agree. I think it is very good for a child to express their emotions (providing they're not resorting to violence) and I actively encourage my DD (only just turned 6) to express how she is feeling about her day (I'm not persistent, I just ask once). Did you take your dd to see "inside out" at all? If not, I would recommend it for your dd when it comes out on DVD as it helps explains how all emotions are "good" it'll make you cry too x

I took her but I don't know how much she took in so thank you for the suggestion- I will definitely get her to watch it again when it's on dvd and spend a little time explaining bits to her (which wasn't really possible in the cinema).

I see where you're coming from but some kids do 'cry wolf' or cry for attention or just whinge constantly! Perhaps the BF or one of her siblings is that type of child and a parent has tried to explain that if you cry all the time over everything then nobody will take your tears seriously. A 5 year old saying 'you should only cry when you hurt yourself' doesn't mean she has been subject to some callous grown up not allowing her to express her feelings.

There are also far better ways for a 5 year old to express their emotions than crying - my 5 year old has a tendency to disolve into dramatic tears sometimes and I'm trying to teach her to talk to me and tell me what's wrong so we can work it out together.