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Name it to tame it
Why labeling emotions out loud actually shrinks them, and exactly how to do it without sounding like a textbook.
Disagreements about screen time, frustrations over homework, refusal to do daily chores, they can all end up in a screaming match. Imagine helping your child cope with big emotions, so they calm down faster and you can stop pulling your hair out.
If you're ready to support your child through strong emotions, this guide is for you.
It starts small. A "no" to one more episode. A spilled cup. A request to brush teeth. Then, suddenly, the whole house is loud. There's crying, there's slamming, there's you sitting on the bathroom floor wondering when this all became so hard.
You've tried explaining. You've tried walking away. You've tried being firm and you've tried being gentle. Sometimes it works. Often, it doesn't. And every time, you wonder if you're doing this wrong.
You're not. Big emotions are just bigger than what little brains can hold. This guide gives you six concrete things you can do in the moment to help your child move through them, so the storms get shorter, the recovery gets faster, and your evenings don't have to end in tears.
Why labeling emotions out loud actually shrinks them, and exactly how to do it without sounding like a textbook.
Your nervous system is the thermostat for the room. How to get yours calm so theirs can follow.
One sentence to use when you don't know what else to say. It buys time and lowers the temperature.
Why a big feeling needs a body before it can listen to a brain. The 90-second body reset.
What to say in the calm after, so the moment becomes a teaching moment instead of a hurt one.
Daily habits that lower the baseline so big feelings come up less often. The slow magic of small rituals.
Big feelings aren't the problem. They're the part of being a kid. The work is teaching them how to ride the wave, and you, the parent, how to be the steady shore.
Kim Feeney, LISW, LCSW, RPT-S