Four-year-old boy wows the internet for emotional intelligence during talk with Pinoy mom
Let's face it. Emotional stability is a trait that people still find hard to develop even as they become full-grown adults. But 32-year-old Filipino-Canadian mom Jonisa Padernos is not letting that happen to her son Aldie.
Despite his young age of four, Aldie is already proving that he is completely in touch with his emotions as shown in a TikTok video posted by his Filipino mom that has since gone viral with over 22 million views and over four million likes.
The adorable toddler from Prince George, B.C. managed to make the world melt because of his thoughtful conversation with his mom just before his bedtime, where he displayed his emotional intelligence.
Their exchange began with Aldie opening up about how he became upset at his mom's decision for not letting him go outside because of his behavior.
"You hurt my feelings by not [letting me] go outside," Aldie said. "You know earlier, I couldn't go outside so I was still a little sad."
Jonisa then gently tried to make him understand that it was a consequence of his actions, to which Aldie replied, "But after, I was a little sad. I was a little bit upset. More than a little."
His mom responded by validating his feelings, "We all get upset sometimes. We don’t get what we want all the time."
Aldie agreed with her but explained that it was difficult for babies to understand that, recalling a situation that happened earlier that day where his dad got angry at her baby sister for dropping a plate. He managed to defuse the situation by simply telling his dad to "stop, breathe slow, and make a smart choice."
Jonisa asked him if he did the same when he became upset, to which he answered, "Yeah, but earlier, I chose to be a tiny bit mad, but after a while, I was okay."
"Life is like that," Jonisa explained. "We get upset, we get mad, we cry. And then, we feel better after we cry."
"Yup, sure do," Aldie said. "Even when you're upset or angry, always different kinds of feelings. I was wrong. Today, I had a hard time [dealing with] my emotions. Even though I was that mad, you still love me so much?"
Jonisa pulled Aldie into a hug and told him that she will always love him no matter what.
@mom_aldie Bedtime conversation. The last part made me ❤️🥹 #fyp #momlife ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono - moshimo sound design
Their simple yet touching conversation managed to warm the hearts of many netizens, moving them to shower Aldie with positive messages about how emotionally intelligent he is.
"What a great conversation between you and Aldie. He can express himself so well and he knows the importance of emotional literacy. You and Papa are doing a great job raising a fine young man," one user commented on Jonisa's video on her Instagram account.
Others wrote, "This is beautiful. It makes me emotional because this little human has the space to express how he feels with no judgement or having someone rush him to finish talking. What a difference life would be if we all made this kind of space for one another, just to sit in our emotions, talk through them, process them and then move on."
PACEs Connection, an online site that provides information on Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences, highlighted that emotional communication between a parent and their child is important as it brings about a "sense of wellbeing in a child, who learns he can trust others to respect his needs."
