How to help your child with big emotions without shutting them down Childhood messages that can follow us into adulthood Have you ever heard yourself say “Oh, don’t cry” when your child is upset? I think most of us probably have. It comes from a good place. We see a child we love crying and our natural reaction is to want to make everything better. “Don’t cry.” “Stop crying.” “Why are you crying?” They seem like such harmless words, don’t they? I heard them a lot when I was g

Is your child going back to school this week? Or perhaps they’re starting school for the very first time? Maybe the worries have already started in your house. What if I don’t like my teacher? What if I don’t know anyone? What if I get lost? What if nobody wants to play with me? But we almost never ask: What if it DOES work out? Or perhaps your child isn’t actually saying they’re worried. They just don’t want to go. Their tummy hurts. Bedtime has suddenly become difficult. Th

Have you ever watched your child cry and felt completely helpless? You don't know why they're crying. They don't know why they're crying. And nothing you do seems to help. Or maybe you've felt that rising urge to make it stop, not because you don't care, but because their pain feels like your pain, and somewhere inside you, a voice is saying "I need to fix this, now." I know that feeling. And I want you to know it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. Why "stop crying" do

If your child is scared of the dark and bedtime has become a bit of a struggle, you're not alone. So many parents of toddlers and young children tell me the same thing: bath, teeth, story, tucked in, lights off... and then the calling out starts. "There's something under the bed." "I heard a noise." "Can you check the wardrobe again?" It's exhausting. And it can leave you wondering what you're doing wrong. You're not doing anything wrong. And neither is your child. Why bedtim