They say don’t let your kids see you cry

Following up on why I believe it's so important to let our kids see our full range of emotions, I wanted to share a bit more about how this connects to understanding their feelings, especially when they're crying. I know many of us, myself included, have felt that pang of frustration or helplessness when our child is crying and we just can't figure out why. Sometimes, the reasons my child is crying are simple: they're tired, hungry, or frustrated by a toy. But often, it's deeper, and they're just learning to process big feelings. When we, as parents, are open about our own emotions, we create a safe space for them to explore theirs. It's about teaching them that it's okay to feel. I also completely understand the feeling of 'why does my kids crying trigger me?' It's a real and valid struggle for many parents. For me, I realized sometimes it was my own unresolved feelings about sadness or helplessness bubbling up. When I started accepting my own vulnerability and realizing that showing emotion didn't make me less of a mom – in fact, it made me more human – it shifted how I reacted to their tears. Instead of feeling triggered, I could approach them with more empathy, understanding that they're just expressing their needs. It was about breaking a cycle of emotional suppression I grew up with. This connects directly to the idea of co-regulation. When we're able to acknowledge our own feelings, process them, and then demonstrate a calm, soothing demeanor, especially during stress – even our own stress – we are essentially teaching our children how to regulate their emotions. They're seeing strength in our ability to feel, heal, and keep going. We're modeling that being vulnerable doesn't make you weak; it makes you resilient. By being emotionally authentic, we're helping to build incredible emotional strengths in our children. They learn empathy because they see us experiencing and recovering from emotions. They learn resilience because they observe us standing back up after a fall, emotionally speaking. They understand that emotions are normal, not something to be hidden or ashamed of. This empowers them with emotional intelligence, setting them up to navigate life's challenges with a strong sense of self and the ability to truly connect with others. We're showing them it's okay to feel, and that they too can process their emotions and keep going. This is how we pass on emotional health from generation to generation, truly breaking curses and building a foundation of strength.