In so few words, this poem beautifully captures what is so vital about early emotional development and its importance in the human condition. It is the willingness and ability to embrace fully and experience the broad spectrum of emotional states, including those that are painful and distressing, that may be key to mental health and adaptive personal development. As psychoanalytic theory has suggested for decades, by achieving this emotional developmental capacity, one gains the ability to have a clear view of oneself and others, and to engage fully and honestly in the human experience and all of its vicissitudes. Guiding young children’s development in this area early in.
