Uncomfortable emotions are like waves that come and go. Anger, frustration, or desperation can lead those waves to crest into yelling or other actions. We have all done that before and it never feels good afterwards. We can learn to ride those emotional waves until they pass and then we can continue parenting without the guilt or the crying children. We can learn to keep calm with our kids. Keeping calm in the moment is part mindset and part tools! There are mindsets like remembering that nothing’s gone wrong here, this is normal. There’s also managing the wherewithal that comes in layers and noticing when we are tired, hungry, or maxed out in some other way. LeAnn also introduces research about how the presence of a calm parent changes the way a child’s emotional brain works and lowers their reactivity. Keeping ourselves calm is the first step, but it leads us to helping our kids keep calm as well, and opens up a lot more opportunities for teaching and parenting. Get ready for tools, principles, and examples about staying calm, something we all need at some point with our families.
