Blue Skies Gentle Parenting

02/04/2026

Watch with the sound on! This is so very sweet! 💜

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2521606594891903

02/04/2026

Give this a try! So much fun for parent and baby both!

02/02/2026

Children will look to their closest adult - a parent, a teacher, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle - for signs of safety and signs of danger.

What the parent believes, the child will follow, for better or worse.

Anxiety doesn’t mean they aren’t safe or capable. It means they don’t feel safe or capable enough yet.

As long as they are safe, this is where they need to borrow our calm and certainty until they can find their own.

The questions to ask are, ‘Do I believe they are safe and cared for here?’ ‘Do I believe they are capable?’

It’s okay if your answer is no to either of these. We aren’t meant to feel safe handing our kiddos over to every situation or to any adult.

But if the answer is no, that’s where the work is.

What do you need to know they are safe and cared for? What changes need to be made? What can help you feel more certain? Is their discomfort from something unsafe or from something growthful? What needs to happen to know they are capable of this?

This can be so tricky for parents as it isn’t always clear. Are they anxious because this is new or because it’s unsafe?

As long as they are relationally safe (or have an adult working towards this) and their bodies feel safe, the work is to believe in them enough for them to believe it too - to handle our very understandable distress at their distress, make space for their distress, and show them we believe in them by what we do next: support avoidance or brave behaviour.

As long as they are safe, we don’t need to get rid of their anxiety or big feelings. Lovingly make space for those feelings AND brave behaviour. They can feel anxious and do brave.

‘I know this feels big. Bring all your feelings to me. I can look after you through all of it. And yes, this is happening. I know you can do this. We’ll do it together.’

But we have to be kind and patient with ourselves too. The same instinct that makes you a wonderful parent - the attachment instinct - might send your ‘they’re not safe’ radar into overdrive.

Talk to their adults at school, talk to them, get the info you need to feel certain enough, and trust they are safe, and capable enough, even when anxiety (theirs and yours) is saying no.❤️

02/02/2026

When children are loved for who they are, it can help them grow into adults who see differences not as divisions, but as something to celebrate.

02/02/2026

Did you know your Breastmilk is a potent cocktail of hormones. 🙌🏼😱💕

02/02/2026

If you’ve ever been told to “send them to calm down” and it didn’t sit right with you — this is why.
Children don’t learn regulation through isolation. They learn it through connection. Through an adult who stays close, steady, and calm enough for them to borrow that calm until their own nervous system can catch up. This isn’t about spoiling or rescuing. It’s about building the brain skills that make self-regulation possible.

01/30/2026

If you’ve ever wished you could step inside your child’s emotional world for a moment… this series is for you.

Over the next two weeks, I’m sharing A Child’s Voice — a gentle, brain-based set of visuals that puts words to what children often can’t explain yet. It’s not about “perfect parenting”… it’s about understanding what regulation really looks like from the inside out, and why connection is the starting point.

We’ll be running the full series from 2 to 16, with daily posts you can come back to whenever things feel loud, messy, or overwhelming at home.

To SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save. If you’d like the boy version, comment BOY below ⬇️ (Facebook Only)

Managing Big Feelings, a Toolkit for Parents & Educators.
Link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

01/30/2026

I am 3...

If you’ve ever wished you could step inside your child’s emotional world for a moment… this series is for you.

Over the next two weeks, I’m sharing A Child’s Voice — a gentle, brain-based set of visuals that puts words to what children often can’t explain yet. It’s not about “perfect parenting”… it’s about understanding what regulation really looks like from the inside out, and why connection is the starting point.

We’ll be running the full series from 2 to 16, with daily posts you can come back to whenever things feel loud, messy, or overwhelming at home.

To SAVE, click on the image, tap the three dots, and choose Save. If you’d like the boy version, comment BOY below ⬇️ (Facebook Only)

Managing Big Feelings, a Toolkit for Parents & Educators.
Link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

01/30/2026

What if they're not actually criticizing, but instead, subconsciously grieving that they didn't receive the kind treatment they see you offering your children? Children always deserve kindness. 💛

01/30/2026

Absolutely!

Please don't fall for the old version. That's fear and/or trauma talking, not research. 💛

01/16/2026

“This is what breaking cycles looks like — awareness, restraint, and love chosen again.”💚

01/16/2026

When a child’s emotional brain takes over, logic and reason switch off — and connection becomes the bridge back to calm.

These phrases don’t fix the feeling; they regulate the brain behind it.
Save this as part of your calm-down toolkit and share with anyone who supports children through big emotions.

You can find more brain-based strategies like this in Managing Big Feelings Toolkit — download from The Contented Child via link in comments or Linktree Store in Bio.