12. “Shepherding Through”: How to Handle Meltdowns When Life Gets in the Way

If we want to help our children develop emotion regulation, allowing them to express their feelings is key. But what do you do when you have to be somewhere, but your child is having a tantrum? Or what about when you have multiple kids who all need you at once – like when your toddler is crying, but your baby needs a diaper change? How do you meet your child’s emotional needs in those moments?

In this week’s episode, I’m answering a listener who wrote in asking exactly this. I talk about how to show up for our kids in their hard moments while still getting to our appointments on time & meeting everyone’s needs (including our own!). I dive into why these moments are so hard & share my step-by-step “shepherding through” process.

Here’s the thing: The world can’t stop every time your child has a feeling. Sometimes life gets in the way, and you’ll have to hold space for the feeling while also moving on to wherever you need to be next. And that’s okay! The key is doing this in a way that builds emotion regulation & connection … which you’ll be able to do after listening to today’s episode!