Emotional independence is the ability to regulate one’s own emotions without requiring another person’s actions or words. It is important because if we are dependent on another person, in order to regulate our emotions, we will be subject to them. If they give imperfect responses, we will dysregulate. If we are emotionally independent, we can be the person that we want to be, regardless of the performance of those around us.

The most resistant path is someone else’s agency. It is nearly impossible to plot a course for ourselves, when the path is against someone else’s agency. That person might be trying to work on their character and change those tendencies, but such growth can take a lifetime. If we are standing on the sidelines, tapping our foot, and waiting impatiently for them to change, their growth can take longer. If we have focused on their impediment for so long that we believe our only path to our happiness is for them to change, we will develop resentment toward them. When we take a step back and realize that we can achieve our own goals, without requiring someone else to change first, our resentment dissipates. When we realize that there are many possible paths available to us, on our journey to achieve our goals, we experience emotional freedom.

Large tasks can seem very overwhelming to children. Some children cannot manage multi-step instruction. They cannot manage multi-step tasks either. Oftentimes, asking a child to complete a multi-step task, without breaking the task down, leads to failure. It is easier for children to master multi-step tasks, if the parent asks the child to do one step at a time.