“Relax! Calm down!”
What happens when you’re angry and someone tells you to relax and calm down? Do you obey the order? Or do you get madder?
Chances are, you don’t calm down at all. You get even more upset because this seemingly helpful person is neither really helping you nor acknowledging your feelings.
The same is true when you have an EARTH child who worries constantly, and you tell him/her to stop worrying. YOU may know there is nothing to worry about, but your child feels differently and needs you to use an out-of-the-box approach, such as the 5 elements and the cycles they inhabit.
There are 2 main cycles in 5-element theory: the nourishing cycle and the control cycle. Both play a role in the context of play dates. Here is a recap of both cycles:
Nourishing Cycle
WOOD nourishes FIRE
FIRE nourishes EARTH
EARTH nourishes METAL
METAL nourishes WATER
WATER nourishes WOOD
Control Cycle
WOOD controls EARTH
FIRE controls METAL
EARTH controls WATER
METAL controls WOOD
WATER controls FIRE
Note the three lines in bold, as I will discuss their applications here. Since fire nourishes earth, employ fire activities to nurture your earth child and make him/her feel relaxed and adored. Fire activities are fun things such as silly play, performance games like charades, and drama classes. These are a great way to relax your earth child and distract him/her from worrying.
Once you engage in these activities regularly for at least a few days, you may concurrently move on to the control cycle. Wood controls earth, so use wood activities to structure your child’s life, so long as you don’t overdo it and strip away the fun. Examples of wood activities are physical exercise, goal-setting (try keeping a diary together), nature adventures, and building. If your child gets upset when trying to build according to an accompanying diagram, encourage him/her to build her own structure. This leads to confidence, creativity, and ultimately an outlet for earth kids — METAL. Yes, since metal is the next element in the nourishing cycle, your earth child’s destiny is to engage in some metal activities as he/she grows into the teenage years and adulthood.
Do YOU have an EARTH child? What is your biggest challenge and/or point of pride? Share in the comments below or send a private message via the “Contact” page! For a one-page reference guide to raising the earth child, please contact us.
