by Sarah Potter | Nov 14, 2026 | Big Feelings & Hard Moments
“Put your shoes on.” No. “Do you want ice cream?” Somehow, also no, even though you know they love ice cream. If everyday requests seem to set off an automatic refusal in your child, you may be seeing demand avoidance. It can be exhausting for...
by Sarah Potter | Nov 14, 2026 | Big Feelings & Hard Moments
The teacher says your child had a great day. Then they walk through your front door and everything falls apart. Tears over the wrong snack. A slammed door. If this sounds familiar, you are not imagining it, and you are not doing anything wrong. There is a name for...
by Sarah Potter | Nov 14, 2026 | Big Feelings & Hard Moments
Most people know what a meltdown looks like. Shutdowns are harder to spot, because they are quiet. A child who is shutting down might simply stop talking, or curl up somewhere and not respond. To an adult in a hurry, it can look like sulking or being...
by Sarah Potter | Nov 14, 2026 | Big Feelings & Hard Moments
From across the room, a meltdown and a tantrum can look almost identical. There are tears, and maybe a body on the floor. But underneath, they are very different experiences, and they need very different responses from the grown-ups nearby. Getting this right is one...
by Sarah Potter | Nov 14, 2026 | Big Feelings & Hard Moments
It is 7:45 in the morning. Shoes are flying, someone is screaming that their socks feel wrong, and you are watching the clock while trying not to scream too. In moments like that, “behavior is communication” can sound like a nice idea written by someone...
by Sarah Potter | Nov 14, 2026 | Big Feelings & Hard Moments
“Calm down.” “Just take a breath.” Most of us have said these in the middle of a meltdown, and most of us have watched them not work at all. That is not a parenting failure, and it is not your child being defiant. It is a nervous system doing...
