Children and Skype: understanding emotions through emoticons

My daughter is accustomed to using Skype. Use your webcam to talk to the grandparents or distant uncles and chat to send icons to everybody he knows, but also to complete strangers (to her, it is in fact of my work colleagues). His favorite icons are the laughing face, heart pounding, the man who dances, which makes him smile hello.

Recently, during a trip to Puglia, for some family problems, I found myself in a kind of isolation technique. When, after many days, I was able to monopolize a computer and talking to my sister, I let the little game a bit ‘. Well, all the icons of your choice at that time told me I was not quite happy: it has selected the angry face, one that flies in the face, one that vomits.

I’m surprised, but I should have known, to what a child is much easier to communicate with pictures than with words their own discomfort. With a few clicks my daughter told me what she felt and tried to do something about it, to make it feel a bit ‘better. Emoticons for Skype, for now they are again to be smiling.