Ymmv of course, but I've used that basic equation for infants through middle schoolers with varying emotional or develop needs, & with increasing success as I improve my strategies. Just bc something doesn't result in instant compliance doesn't mean it doesn't work

A recent example w/ my toddler "I hear that you want candy corn for snack, but that's not on the menu...I see that you're disappointed. Would you like a hug?"

Validate emotions, hold the boundary, offer co-regulation, & 8/10 times we move on in just a few minutes

Ooo! I don't actually have a copy yet and have been waiting for the perfect cover!

Also, it means I'm regularly haunting Beatrice, because The Midnight Bargain is a regular comfort read~

I love this idea of haunting yourself in your memories. Definitely some poetic seeds in this that I may plant 💜

That's my usual go to, and it's what kept me reading what turned out to be one of my favorite books of the year. But I feel like since my issue is the style itself I'm not likely to get engaged in the story enough to push through

I'll give it one more chapter 🤷

So, yesterday when my scheduled night out was cancelled, I signed up last minute for an intro pole dancing class. I'm achy today, but it was SUCH a thrill to move my body for fun while also exploring the limits of what it can do. Hopefully this is the beginning of a better connection between us 💜

I have a friend that will do a lot of shady, morally dubious stuff, but he won't commit fraud because it's "lying on paper" which feels like a pretty valid line

... I knew she was severely burned but not the details. Hate that I know this, will pass the knowledge along as needed for people to take consumer safety seriously

My creature is 2.5, & while a lot of parenting has been pretty much what I expected, I was caught off guard by the intensity of worry I signed myself up for. I imagine it changes as they get older, but doesn't lessen ❤️